. 


PICTORIAL 


HISTORY  OF  MEXICO 


AND    THE 


MEXICAN    WAR 


COMPRISING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 


ANCIENT  AZTEC  EMPIRE,  THE  CONQUEST  BY  CORTES,  MEXICO 

UNDER  THE  SPANIARDS,  THE  MEXICAN  REVOLUTION,  THE 

REPUBLIC,  THE  TEXAN  WAR,  AND  THE  RECENT 

WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


BY  JOHN  FROST,  LL.  D. 

AUTHOR    OF   PICTORIAL    HISTOET    OF    THE    WORLD,    PICTORIAL    BISTORT    OP    THS 
UNITED    STATES,    BOOK.    OP    THE    ARMY,    BOOK    OF    THE    NAVY,    &C.    &C. 


EMBELLISHED  WITH  FIVE  HUNDRED  ENGRAVINGS,  FROM  DESIGNS  OF  W,  CROOME  AND  OTHER 

DISTINGUISHED  ARTISTS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

CHARLES     DESILVER, 

No.   1229    CHESTNUT    STREET, 
BALTIMORE,  MD.:  CUSHINGS  &  BAILEY.    PITTSBURG,  PA.:  JOHN  P.  HUNT. 

1862. 


<  C,  •• 


ENTERED,  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  or  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  1848,  BY 

JOHN  FROST, 

IN  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  CLERK  OF  THE  DISTRICT  COURT  OF   THE  UNITED 
STATES,  IN  AND  FOR  THE  EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  GEORGE  CHARLES. 
PRINTED  BY  SMITH  AND  PETERS. 


THE  recent  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico 
has  awakened  in  the  people  of  the  former  country  a  degree 
of  interest  in  the  history  and  condition  of  the  latter,  which 
it  never  possessed  before.  The  reading  public  are  not  satis 
fied  with  the  accounts  of  the  war  which  have  been  pub 
lished,  but  evince  an  anxiety  to  learn  something  of  the 
whole  antecedent  history  of  the  sister  republic.  To  satisfy 
this  inquiry  the  following  work  has  been  written. 

The  account  of  Ancient  Mexico,  and  of  the  Conquest,  is 
founded  on  the  histories  of  Bernal  Diaz,  Solis,  and  other 
Spanish  writers,  and  the  learned  and  eloquent  History  of 
the  Conquest,  by  our  accomplished  countryman,  Mr. 
Prescott.  From  equally  authentic  and  reliable  authorities 
are  drawn  the  facts  comprised  in  the  history,  of  the  Revo 
lution,  Mexico  under  the  Spaniards,  the  Republic  under  jt? 
successive  presidents,  and  the  Texan  war. 

In  composing  the  narrative  of  the  recent  war  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States,  which  forms  the  largest  and 
most  important  part  of  the  work,  recourse  has  been  had  to 
A  2  (iii) 


iv  PREFACE. 

official  authorities  chiefly ;  the  despatches  of  the  general 
officers,  and  the  reports  of  their  subordinates  being  con 
sidered  the  most  reliable  sources  of  information ;  although 
the  author  has  had  opportunity  of  considerable  personal 
intercourse  with  officers  of  rank  who  have  taken  an  active 
and  conspicuous  part  in  the  contest. 

In  embellishing  the  work,  the  author  has  had  the  advan 
tage  of  Mr.  Croome's  invaluable  services ;  and  he  is  in 
debted  to  Messrs.  Root,  Simons,  Collins,  Butler,  Gunn  & 
England,  and  Van  Loan,  for  daguerreotype  portraits  of 
officers ;  by  which  means  a  degree  of  authenticity  in  this 
department  has  been  attained,  which  was  out  of  the  ques 
tion  before  the  invention  of  this  important  art. 

It  is  certainly  a  gratifying  task  to  any  patriotic  Ameri 
can  writer  to  record  the  events  of  the  recent  war  with  the 
Mexican  Republic.  Such  a  glorious  career  of  successful 
valour  seldom  presents  itself  to  the  notice  of  the  historian. 
In  many  respects  this  contest  is  unparalleled  in  the  annals 
of  the  world's  affairs ;  and  it  will  for  ever  hold  a  conspicu 
ous  place  on  that  pillar  of  glory  where  the  deeds  of  Ameri 
can  freemen  are  emblazoned  for  the  admiration  of  mankind. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  OCTLIWE  OF  MEXICO, ....... l3 

CHAPTER  II. 

THB  AZTEC  EMPIRE  BEFORE  THE  CONO.UEST,.  . . 

CHAPTER  III. 

MAWNERS,  CUSTOMS,  AWD  SOCIAL  CONDITION  OF  THE  AZTECS,  .  „ 35 

CHAPTER  IV. 

AQ 

AtfCIEWT    MoifUMEKTS    OF    MEXICO, 

CHAPTER  V. 

*  fi  1 

HlSTORT    OF    THE    CoX^EST    BT    CoRTES,. •• 

CHAPTER  VI. 

MEXICO    TTJTDER.    THE    SPANIARDS, - 

CHAPTER  VH. 

THE  MIXICAK  REVOLUTION, 148 

(v) 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  REPUBLIC, «. . .......  165 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CAUSES  OP  THE  MEXICAN  WAH, 178 

CHAPTER  X. 

JPENING    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN  ON    THE    RlO    GRANDE.       SlEGE    OF    FORT    BROWN,    194 

CHAPTER  XI. 

BATTLE  OF  PALO  ALTO, 222 

CHAPTER  XII.     . 

BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA  PALMA, 232 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

BABITA  AND  MATAMORAS  CAPTURED, 246 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

*  * 

EVENTS  SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  CAPTURE  OF  MATAMORAS, .• . . .     254 

CHAPTER  XV. 

MARCH  TO  MONTEREY, 269 

CHAPTER  XVI, 

STORMING  OF  FEDERATION  AND  INDEPENDENCE  HILLS, 278 

* 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

STORMING  OF  MONTEREY, ... 298 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CAPITULATION  OF  MONTEREY, 321 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

OPERATIONS  SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  CAPTURE  OF  MONTEREY, 332 

CHAPTER  XX. 

MARCH  OF  GENERAL  WOOL  TO  MONCLOVA, 348 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

SANTA  ANITA'S  MARCH  TO  BCENA   VISTA.     BATTLE  GROUND  AND  SKIRMISH 
OP  FEBRUARY  22d, 359 

CHAPTER  XXII 

BATTLE  OF  BUENA  VISTA, 367 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CONQUEST  OF   CALIFORNIA  AND  NEW  MEXICO, 388 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SIEGE  OF  VERA  CRUZ, 465 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

MARCH  TOWARDS  THE  CAPITAL,  AND  BATTLE  OP  CERRO  GORDO, 479 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  GUERRILLA  WARFARE, 493 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MARCH  TO  THE  CAPITAL,  AND  BATTLES  OF  CONTRERAS  AND  CHURUBUSCO..   501 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  ARMISTICE, 542 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

STORMING  OF  MOLING  DEL  RET, 551 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

STORMING  OF  CHAPULTEPEC, 563 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

STORMING  OF  SAN  .COSME  AND  BELEN  GATES, 576 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

ENTRANCE  INTO  THE  CAPITAL, 591 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SIEGE  OF  PCEBLA,  .  .   597 


via 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

BATTLES  07  HUAMANTLA  AND  ATLIXCO, 603 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CAPTURE  OF  GUATMAS,  AND  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  GUERRILLAS,. 610 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

OPERATIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA  AND  NEW  MEXICO, 621 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


CLOSE  OF  THI  WAH, 


631 


Ornamental  Headpiece,  ..—~..~~-..~~. ~ -... ^..  13 

Cofre  de  Perote,  ••••—« — ~»~ 15 

Termination  of  the  Aqueduct  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  •  •••—— 17 

Volcanoes  as  seen  from  Tacubaya,  •  ••  — .~.~....— IS 

Mexican  Muleteers,  ••—— - -•— ,*...,,«-. 23 

Mexican  Cavalry  at  a  Pulque  Shop,  between  San  Martin  and  Puebla, •••  26 

Indian  Hut,  in  the  Tierra  Caliente,  •—•—- •'••  27 

The  Mexican  Coat  of*A.rms, ......  ~ ~. 29 

Nezahualcoytl  •  •••^-. -•»«•• •— - ..~-« «30 

Bath  of  Montezuma,  — »..-. - 31 

Nezahualpilli, »*..««- .- 3i 

Ahuitzotl, — « —  — ..~..- 34 

Sculptured  Stone  in  Monte  of  Mapilca, 35 

Pyramid  of  Cholula, • <— 38 

Great  Teocalli,  or  Temple  of  Mexico.    From  an  old  print,-—-- 40 

The  ordinary  Human  Sacrifice, ........... - - 42 

Gladiatorial  Sacrifice,  ••••— ~-~_....-.~- -. -, 43 

Ancient  Mexican  Manuscript, —  -».. U 44 

Great  Calendar  Stone,  ••  —  — —  — - - 46 

Interior  of  a  Modern  Mexican  House, — — -• 47 

Ornamental  Headpiece, — - - -» 48 

Ruins  of  Xochicalco, ...~~. ...~ .. ^ .. 50 

Pyramids  of  San  Juan,  Teotihuacan,  •  — ~- - —  •- ~....~ 52 

Ancient  Aqueduct,  leading  from  the  Mountains  of  the  hill  of  Tezcosingo,  -««~ 55 

Ruins  of  Quemada, - — ......~..~~- ~ ~ 59 

Temple  at  Tusapan, .~~......~....~~.....-~...,...-..-~....~-......~^.....~. ...«_....» 57 

Pyramid  of  Papantla,-  —  — - ^..~^-.....~- ~~ 68 

Pyramid  of  Misantla, . .... .^ 69 

Monument  at  Copan,--—- — « — 73 

Ruins  of  Zayi,-.  —  — - — -~— .«.~....~...«~. 79 

Ruins  of  Uxmal,  ••— —  .^.^-...^. ..«~.....^. ^^ 80 

Landing  of  Cortes  at  Vera  Cruz,-*--  — - —  ~- — —  81 

Bartholomew  de  Olmedo,  —•<- ~..~»»-. ~..~~ 84 

Diego  de  Ordaz,  ...—..—»». * » .-- 85 

Teuhtlile, -— -.— - ~~ 87 

Massacre  at  Cholula, -.„....,..-.....«-. 92 

Cortes  advancing  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  ••••- •  93 

Defeat  of  Narvaez, ——• ...~— »..^«- «.^ ~~«. .„.»_. ^. 102 

Cuitlahua,-.  — - — ~.........«- ^.. 104 

Cortes, ^- — 106 

Christovalde  Olid, • 107 

Velasquez  de  Leon, — • - 108 

Sandoval, - ^....^.....^ ,, ^. no 

Guatimozin. - „-....«... ...^.. - 114 

Ixtlilxochltl,.  ..—— - ^.*...M^ 115 

Jorge  de  Alvarado, - — ~ — 118 

Pedro  de  Alvarado, ~» • 120 

Charles  V.-...^ ~ , ^..... 123 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, ~-~~...'...- ~. ~.. ».  124 

Ornamental  Headpiece, -»• 126 

Father  Martin,  of  Valentia, 127 

Las  Casas, 129 

Defeat  of  Quiches  by  Alvarado,-   .~.~ ~ - ~ ^....~.  131 

Celebration  of  the  Founding  of  St.  Jago,. • 132 

Pizarro,  ••..—• 1 33 

Priests  welcoming  the  arrival  of  Soldiers,  ••••• 134 

Marco  de  Nizza, 135 

Mexican  Gentlemen, 147 

Hidalgo, -...._ 148 

Calleja, _ 152 

Leonardo  Bravo, 150 


(ix) 


X  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Death  of  Morelos, ~ 158 

Mina, — • - 160 

Iturbide, -.....—. --....  ~ ........... ...,^....^-....*....^. iei 

Novella, * 163 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, •• - ..._....-. ..^.^ ~ -.  164 

General  Bustamente,  •••• •» —  165 

Pedraza, • - ~- 166 

Fall  of  the  Alamo, ••• 168 

General  Cos, ~- - ~ 169 

Mexia, ••• — - 171 

Santiago  Iman,---- 172 

General  Rivas, •- • 173 

Paredes, • - 174 

Santa  Anna, 176 

Santmanet, • - «•••• -  •  177 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, — 177 

Ornamental  Headpiece, -«- 178 

Bocanegra, ~..., .~ 181 

Corpus  Christi, -- -••• 187 

Drilling  raw  Recruits, ~ 188 

Point  Isabel, 191 

Mexican  Lancer, - - — 193 

City  of  Matamoras, ~ 194 

Colonel  Cross, ~ 198 

Captain  Thornton's  skirmish  with  the  Mexicans, -«- 208 

American  Troops  landing  at  Point  Isabel, - •••  210 

Captain  Walker's  Expedition, .....~- 213 

Major  Brown  mortally  wounded, *~ - — - 219 

Fort  Brown, * 221 

Ornamental  Headpiece, — 222 

Soldiers  Drinking, —  •  •  •  •  — 224 

Battle  of  Palo  Alto, ~ 227 

Repulse  of  the  Mexican  Cavalry  at  Palo  Alto, ~ 229 

Major  Ringgold, - ~ 231 

Ornamental  Headpiece, - 232 

Plan  of  the  Battle-grounds  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  ....  —  .. .~ 234 

Second  Charge  of  Captain  May, — • 238 

Flag  of  the  Tampico  Battalion, 239 

Americans  entering  Arista's  Camp, 240 

Rout  of  the  Mexicans, «...  241 

Death  of  Ringgold, ~~ 245 

Ornamental  Headpiece, - .„.....«. 246 

Public  Square,  Matamoras, - -• 251 

Mexicans  in  their  Holiday  Attire, • 252 

General  Gaines, - 254 

Colonel  Garland, 256 

General  Roger  Jones, -  •  • 259 

General  Taylor  writing  to  the  War  Department, 261 

Hon.  W.  L.  Marcy,  Secretary  of  War, 263 

Camargo,  looking  North, - •  266 

Grand  Plaza,  Camargo, ~- 267 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, • 268 

Ornamental  Headpiece, — - ........-..««- 269 

Captain  McCulloch, «.....- ~— „...  272 

Advance  of  the  Americans  to  Marin, ««~ »- 275 

Camp  Kitchen, »- «-«-.... 277 

Monterey,  -—  •  •  —•••—  •  "«-••  ~~- — ~ 278 

Map  of  Monterey, ~  «-....  «-..«~~..~  „«-...... 281 

View  of  the  Bishop's  Palace,  Monterey, * «-• ..«-...-....... 285 

Cavalry  Action  on  the  Morning  of  September  Slat,  ..««-••.-• ~.....«~. «-.  289 

Colonel  Hays, — ~- -~ - 294 

Worth  at  Monterey, •— ....-.*». .....^. 927 

Monterey  from  the  Bishop's  Palace, - ••- •— ~ «..-»....-.......  298 

Storming  of  Fort  Teneria, ..~~- »~~. ..«^- ~,~-. 301 

General  Butler, — -~ ..«-... ..~ 303 

Colonel  Watson, ~- ~....H.«~..H.«-..~.~..~~ <.— 305 

General  Butler  wounded, —      ^..-^.....*. 306 

Colonel  Jefferson  Davis, - — • • .*»....»•..... ~- 310 

Storming  of  Monterey, — ~ — — «.~~....... •  313 

Contest  in  the  Streets  of  Monterey, .....~. -.....* -......, 317 

Ornamental  Headpiece, -~- •««•- 321 

General  Worth, -~~ ...», ^ 327 

Herdsmen  of  Monterey, — .....«- ^. .- .- 331 

Ornamental  Headpiece, — • _—....« ^ .- 332 

President  Polk, - * 333 

Colonel  May, —- 335 

Saltillo, ~ 340 

Victoria  and  Tula  Pass, - 341 

General  Taylor  taking  leave  of  the  Soldiers,  ••••- - - •- 343 

McCulloch  examining  a  Mexican  Deserter, 345 

Captain  Daniel  Drake  Henrie,  •••••»• - - —• —  ••  346 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, •...«. ^ M  .* 347 

General  Wool, - 348 

General  Wool's  March  to  Monclova, — - 351 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  XI 

A  Texas  Hanger, - •— - 356 

General  Taylor, — • 358 

Headpiece,  General  Taylor, -~ ••»-....•- - ~ 359 

Santa  Anna, '....- 351 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, -- 366 

Ornamental  Headpiece, - 367 

Plan  of  the  Battle  of  Buena  Vista, - - •- 368 

Repulse  of  the  Mexican  cavalry  at  Buena  Vista, - — • 371 

Da  vis's  Infantry  repulsing  the  Mexican  Cavalry, 374 

Death  of  Colonel  Yell, - 376 

Major  Bliss, - - - - 379 

General  Taylor  and  Captain  Bragg  at  Buena  Vista, •••* —-- 380 

Death  of  Colonel  Clay, ~~ ~- - ~ - 381 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Henry  Clay,  Jr.,  ...»-•.•••- -~ -- 382 

Mexicans  killing  the  wounded  at  Buena  Vista, 387 

Mexican  Indians, ••«• • • • 388 

Pearl  Divers, ~~- * 389 

San  Francisco,  California, • 391 

Santa  Barbara, ~- .- ,. 392 

San  Carlos  de  Monterey, ~- »• .» - 393 

Anchorage  at  Yerba  Buena, .«— . .- » 965 

Dragoons  exercising, «-•...-.«- ... 400 

Bent's  Fort, ~~ • 401 

Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico, •- .»-•»• ~..-~« *. 407 

Encampment  near  Valentia, - -•- 411 

Major  Sumner, •*• -•••- -— »••«  412 

Encampment  at  Fray  Christobal, 414 

Traders, ~ •- — 415 

General  Kearny,  ••••»•. ...»»*....«^...»»» ~- 416 

Battle  of  Bracito, - 418 

Colonel  Benton, — ........._ ~ - 422 

Battle  of  Sacramento,  •  •  •  •— •  •  •-••- ~ 427 

Colonel  Mitchell  bearing  off  the  Mexican  Standard, 429 

Capture  of  Monterey, *•••• 437 

Capture  of  Yerba  Buena, --- - -».... ».-..~.~-..«.~. 438 

Monterey,  Upper  California, - 441 

Colonel  Fremont,  ••••-« ...» - -..-.. 444 

Christopher  Carson, «-•• »*»•  •  •  •  ~- 445 

Battle  of  San  Pasqual, ..~....~ - ...  453 

Battle  of  San  Gabriel, - -...»«....,... 454 

Presidio  of  San  Francisco.    Encampment  of  the  New  York  Volunteers, 456 

Indian  atrocities  in  New  Mexico, ~ ^-....^ -.  460 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, -~ -~. ....- -. - _ 464 

Ornamental  Headpiece,  •••—- ....... «~-....~-....~. - 465 

Tampico, ~ » ~~ - -- 466 

Commodore  Conner, - —.......- -.„.- ....  467 

General  Scott  going  on  board  the  Commodore's  Ship, ~~~ 469 

Vera  Cruz, ~ — ~..«~- - ..«_ 471 

Plan  of  Vera  Cruz  and  San  Juan  de  Ulloa, » 472 

Colonel  Totten,  •••. ....^.^ ~ ~ 474 

Colonel  Harney's  Dragoon  Fight,- ••••—• ~ -.•»-... .«-...«.»».... ~ 476 

Lieutenant  Hunter, —..».»»......... ~. „. , 477 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, .»-«-.. ~~-.. .-.*«-......-...-..*« _~.  479 

Ornamental  Headpiece,- •••**- —  -- *....-. »»..^.^ » 479 

General  Pillow,' •- - - ~ 481 

Plan  of  the  Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo, ~.-~ ^....^ ~...,~_. .......  488 

General  Twiggs  at  Cerro  Gordo,  •••— ~._~. .^....... 484 

General  Scott  complimenting  Colonel  Harney,  ....»- ~... .~....~- ~,...-~ 495 

General  Shields  wounded,  ••••••• -~ ^-...-.^ 487 

Colonel  Baker, .»^». »..^. 438 

Colonel  Hitchcock, ~~~ — -...<.. «. 489 

Tuspan, ^- »....«. ....„ ^... ...... ^ »«-.... ..........  490 

Puebla, ~ - - — 491 

Ornamental  Headpiece, ~....^ ~. ~. 493 

National  Bridge, — ,~.. ,...«_ 494 

Mexican  Cavalry  menacing  a  Train  of  Wagons,  •••  —  ••  —  •—••••  —  ••- •- 495 

Captain  Duperu's  Dragoons  attacking  the  Guerrillas, •— • -«- 498 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, • •— ~ 500 

Ornamental  Headpiece, — .—...• ...... ^- ^ 501 

City  of  Mexico,  from  the  Convent  of  San  Cosine, —••»• 503 

Death  of  Captain  Thornton, - ••— 505 

Plan  of  the  Battles  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco, 506 

General  Persifor  F.  Smith, - 508 

Storming  of  Contreras, — 513 

General  Shields, - i 516 

General  Cadwalader, — - •  518 

Storming  of  Churubusco, - • 532 

Assistant  Adjutant-General  Mackall, 536 

Guerrillas, 538 

CoJonel  Burnett, • — 539 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, - 541 

N  ic  hoi  as  P.  Trist, 542 

General  Quitman, — • 54S 


Xll 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Ornamental  Tailpiece, -*- 54tt 

Plan  of  the  Battle  of  Molino  del  Key, 550 

Ornamental  Headpiece, 551 

Molino  del  Key— Chapultepec  in  the  distance, 552 

Storming  of  Molino  del  Hey, ~ - 656 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, - 561 

Plan  of  the  Storming  of  Chapultepec, - 562 

Mexican  Costumes, 563 

Chapultepec, 567 

Colonel  Harney, 570 

Colonel  Seymour, 571 

Storming  of  Chapultepec, .*......... 572 

Major  Twiggs, • 573 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, • 575 

Mexican  Gentlemen, » '• 576 

General  Scott, 577 

General  Scott  and  Staff, 579 

Routes  of  Worth's  and  Q  oilman's  Columns  from  Chapultepec  to  the  San  Cosme  and  Belen  Gates  580 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, 590 

Ornamental  Headpiece, 591 

Grand  Plaza  in  the  City  of  Mexico, 592 

City  of  Mexico.     Popocatepetl  and  Iztaccihuatl  in  the  distance, 593 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, 596 

Western  part  of  Puelrla  de  los  Angeles, 597 

Colonel  Childs, 599 

Mexican  Hut,--- 602 

Ornamental  Headpiece,    •• 603 

Major  Iturbide, 606 

Captain  Walker, 607 

Ornamental  Tailpiece,  •  • • 609 

A  Guerrilla, 610 

Capture  of  Guaymas, 611 

General  Cushing, •  • 612 

General  Towson, 614 

General  Patterson, *• - ••• 615 

Colonel  Bankhead, 619 

Ornamental  Tailpiece, ».«......»»..».».....«.. 620 

Ornamental  Headpiece, • .-,~-,...~..»..^-. -». 691 

Ornamental  Tailpiece; -— • • — — ••  * 630 

Ornamental  Headpiece, - —  •  •  • • ' 631 


CHAPTER  I. 


HE  line  of  separation  between  Mexico  and 
Guatimala  is  extremely  irregular,  commenc 
ing  on  the  east  side  with  the  river  Sarstoon, 
which  it  follows  to  its  source,  whence  it 
runs  north  to  north  latitude  17°  30'  and  then 
takes  a  course  west  and  south-west  until  it 
reaches  latitude  15°' 45',  when  it  changes  its 
direction  to  north-east.  On  the  west  and 
south-west  the  Pacific  washes  its  shores, 
while  its  boundaries  on  the  north  and  west  are  the  United  States  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  disorders  of  the  government,  and  the  lawless  state  of  the 
population,  have  hitherto  prevented  our  acquiring  any  thing  like  an 
accurate  account  of  the  country  or  its  population;  and,  until  very 
recently,  the  accounts  of  Baron  Humboldt  were  the  only  reliable 
sources  of  information  respecting  it.  The  portion  lying  south  of  the 
Tropic  of  Cancer,  is  by  far  the  most  rich  and  populous,  but  the 
B 


14  GEOGRAPHICAL    OUTLINE. 

numbers  of  the  population  decrease  as  we  go  northward,  some  of 
the  so  called  states  of  the  republic  being  occupied  almost  wholly  by 
unsubdued  savages.  Mexico  differs  from  almost  all  other  countries 
in  the  great  variety  of  its  climate,  a  feature  arising  not  so  much 
from  its  extent  in  latitude  as  from  the  diversity  of  its  surface.  The 
northern  extension  of  the  Andes,  if  the  Cordilleras  may  so  be  called, 
enters  the  country  on  the  south,  and  diverges,  following  the  line 
of  the  coasts  on  each  side  of  the  country.  The  eastern  arm  finally 
subsides  into  the  great  plains  of  Texas,  but  the  other  preserves  its 
character  until  it  joins  with  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  United 
States.  Between  these  two  arms  of  the  Cordilleras  is  comprised  an 
immense  central  table-land,  nearly  three-fifths  of  the  whole  surface 
of  the  republic,  known  as  the  Plateau  of  Anahuac.  The  elevation 
of  this  plateau,  varying  from  six  thousand  to  eight  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  causes  it  to  have  a  temperate  climate, 
notwithstanding  that  a  considerable  portion  of  it  is  within  the  tro 
pics.  The  surface  of  this  table-land  is  diversified  by  some  very  high 
mountains,  and  a  few  well-defined  ridges  subdivide  it  into  smaller 
plateaus,  to  which  various  names  have  been  given.  It  is  not  tra 
versed  by  many  valleys,  however,  and  a  road,  fourteen  hundred 
miles  in  length,  connects  the  capital  with  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  with 
little  deviation  from  a  level.  The  most  remarkable  tract  in  the  Pla 
teau  of  Anahuac,  is  the  plain  in  which  th$  capital  is  situated,  known 
as  the  Plain  of  Tenochtitlan.  This  plain  is  fifty-five  miles  long  and 
thirty-five  broad,  containing  an  area  of  seventeen  hundred  square 
miles,  surrounded  with  porphyritic  and  basaltic  rocks.  One  hundred 
and  sixty  square  miles  of  it  are  covered  with  water,  which  is  de 
posited  in  five  principal  lakes,  situated  on  different  levels.  South- 
eastwardly  from  the  city  is  the  Lake  of  Chalco ;  north- westwardly,  that 
of  Tezcuco,  and  north  of  that,  those  of  San  Christoval  and  Zumpango. 
The  largest  of  these  lakes  is  that  of  Tezcuco,  which  covers  an  area 
of  seventy  square  miles,'  and  has  an  elevation  but  three  feet  lower 
than  the  great  Square  of  Mexico.  The  lakes  San  Christoval,  Chalco, 
and  Tonanitla,  are  five  feet  higher  than  Tezcuco,  while  Zumpango, 
the  smallest  of  all,  has  a  level  thirty  feet  higher  than  that  of  Tez 
cuco.  The  head  of  water  which  could  be  poured  over  the  city  by 
these  lakes  may  be  readily  perceived.  In  1629,  the  city  of  Mexico 
was  almost  wholly  inundated,  and  preparations  were  being  made  for 
the  foundation  of  a  new  capital,  when  an  earthquake  fortunately  drew 
off  the  excess  of  water.  An  immense  artificial  canal,  the  Desague  of 
Huchuetoga,  was  then  commenced,  for  the  purpose  of  draining  these 
lakes,  but  it  was  not  finished  until  the  year  1789.  The  length  of 
the  cut  is  about  twelve  miles,  it  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep, 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 


17 


Termination  of  the  Aqueduct  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

and  three  hundred  wide,  and  it  discharges  the  waters  of  the  valley 
into  the  river  Panuco,  three  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  Lake 
Zumpango.  This  canal  and  the  beautiful  aqueducts  with  which  the 
city  of  Mexico  is  supplied  with  water,  the  people  owe  to  the  energy 
of  the  Spanish  government,  and  they  are  almost  the  only  works  of  this 
kind  in  the  country.  Earthquakes  are  frequent  in  Mexico,  but  they 
seldom  do  any  mischief,  a  remark  which  will  also  apply  to  the  many 
volcanoes  in  the  country.  On  the  south-east  side  of  the  plain  of 
Tenochtitlan,  those  of  Popocatepetl,  seventeen  thousand  seven  hun 
dred  and  sixteen  feet,  Iztaccihuatl  fifteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
feet,  Orizaba  seventeen  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and 
the  Cofre  de  Perote  thirteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixteen  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  meet  the  eye,  while  other  mountains  and 
volcanoes,  whose  smoking  craters  might  be  a  cause  of  continual  ap 
prehension,  bound  the  horizon  on  other  sides.  The  purity  of  the 
atmosphere  has  an  astonishing  tendency  to  diminish  apparent  dis 
tances,  and  nowhere  does  this  produce  a  more  remarkable  effect 
than  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  Most  of  the  mountains  surrounding  the 
valley  are  at  least  fifteen  miles  distant ;  yet  on  looking  down  any  of 
the  streets  of  the  city,  it  appears  to  be  terminated  by  a  mass  of  rocks, 
which  are  seen  so  distinctly,  that  on  a  clear  day,  all  the  undulations 
of  the  surface  may  be  traced,  and  the  trees  and  patches  of  different 
vegetation  readily  distinguished.  To  the  south-east  the  view  is 
bounded  by  the  lofty  Popocatepetl,  higher  than  any  mountain  in 
North  America  except  Mount  St.  Elias ;  Iztaccihuatl,  which  is  muck 
u2  3 


18 


GEOGRAPHICAL    OUTLINE. 


Volcanoes,  as  seen  from  Tacubaya. 

nearer,  is  two  thousand  feet  lower,  but  the  two  stand  forth  proudly 
pre-eminent  from  any  view  in  the  valley,  and  strangers  delighted  to 
record  the  pleasure  with  which  they  watch  the  effect  of  the  last  rays 
of  light  playing  upon  the  summits  in  the  evening  when  all  around  is 
sinking  into  obscurity. 

The  want  of  water  occasions  serious  disadvantages  to  Mexico,  the 
rivers,  compared  with  the  extent  of  country,  being  few  and  unimportant. 
The  lakes,  however,  are  extensive,  and  the  Spaniards,  finding  that  the 
only  manure  which  the  land  required  was  water,  raised  many  hydraulic 
constructions,  at  great  cost,  for  purposes  of  irrigation,  which  the  Mexi 
cans  have  suffered  to  fall  into  ruin,  and  which  will  probably  be  allowed 
to  remain  so.  The  country  produces  every  thing  that  will  flourish  in 
the  torrid  and  temperate  zones  of  good  quality,  yet  so  indolent  are 
the  natives,  and  so  regardless  of  all  attempts  at  systematic  agriculture, 
that  a  single  season  of  drought  produces  a  famine.  The  rural  popu 
lation  then  go  into  the  deserts  in  search  of  wild  plants,  and  generally 
with  success.  The  great  variety  of  the  productions  is  occasioned 
by  the  extent  of  the  country  through  twenty-one  degrees  of  latitude 
and  the  rapidity  of  the  slope  on  either  side.  On  the  east  side  espe 
cially  the  climates  are  distinctly  marked  by  the  vegetation.  "  On  the 
ascent  from  Vera  Cruz,"  says  Humboldt,  "  climates  succeed  each  other 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE.  19 

in  layers,  and  the  traveller  passes  in  review  in  the  course  of  two 
days,  the  whole  scale  of  vegetation  from  the  parisitic  plants  of  the 
tropics  to  the  pines  of  the  arctic  regions." 

kS  respects  climate,  Mexico  is  divided  into 
the  tierras  calientes,  or  hot  regions,  the  tier- 
ras  templadas  or  temperate  regions  and  the 
tierras  frias  or  cold  regions.  The  first  in 
clude  the  low  grounds  on  the  east  and  west 
coast,  comprising  on  the  eastern  slope  the 
greater  part  of  the  states  of  Tamaulipas,  Vera 
Cruz,  Tabasco,  and  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan. 
These  tierras  on  the  west  are  less  extensive. 
The  mean  temperature  is  about  77°  of  Fahrenheit,  and  the  growth  of 
the  soil  consists  principally  of  sugar,  cotton,  indigo,  and  bananas. 
The  winter  on  the  east  coast  lasts  from  October  to  April,  during 
which  time  north  or  north-west  winds  blow  with  great  violence  for 
several  days  together.  The  shores  at  this  time  are  free  from  pesti 
lence,  but  with  the  summer  the  unhealthy  season  begins,  and 
foreigners  landing  on  the  coast  have  little  hope  of  escaping  the  yel 
low  fever.  At  the  height  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  however,  this  scourge  is  almost  wholly  unknown. 

The  tierras  templadas  extend  from  two  thousand  five  hundred  to 
five  thousand  feet  of  elevation,  and  furnish  us  with  the  Mexican  oak, 
and  most  of  the  fruits  and  grains  of  Europe.  The  cities  situated  in 
these  regions,  of  which  Jalapa  is  one,  are  famous  for  their  salubrity 
and  the  inexhaustible  supply  of  fruits.  Great  beauty  and  strength 
of  vegetation  result  from  the  frequent  fogs  and  humidity  of  the  atmo 
sphere,  which,  however,  are  objectionable  in  other  points  of  view. 

The  tierras  frias  include  all  the  vast  plains  elevated  five  thousand 
feet  or  more  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Here  the  mean  temperature 
is  about  64°  Fahrenheit,  but  when  the  height  of  more  than  eight 
thousand  feet  is  attained  the  climate  is  exceedingly  disagreeable. 
Near  Mexico,  the  limit  of  perpetual  snow  is  twelve  thousand  to  fifteen 
thousand  feet  high.  In  the  tierras  frias,  the  vegetation  is  not  so 
vigorous  as  in  the  lower  countries,  but  the  climate  is  on  the  whole 
more  favourable  to  human  life.  But  the  indolence  of  the  natives 
prevents  all  exertions  to  raise  more  food  than  is  necessary  for  the 
wants  of  a  single  season,  and  no  one  thinks,  in  times  of  plenty,  of 
laying  by  a  store  for  future  contingencies,  and  hence  when  droughts 
or  severe  frosts  occur,  famine  and  its  concomitant  privations  prove 
quite  as  destructive  to  life  as  the  enemies  of  the  coast. 

The  geological  features  displayed  by  the  Cordilleras  are  mostly 
remarkable  for  the  non-appearance  of  granite,  which  is  covered  by 


20  GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 

porphyry,  greenstone,  amygdaloid,  basalt,  obsidian,  and  other  rocks 
of  igneous  origin.  Granite  appears,  however,  in  the  chain  bordering 
on  the  Pacific,  and  the  port  of  Acapulco  is  said  to  be  a  natural  ex 
cavation  in  that  species  of  rock.  The  great  central  Plateau  of  Ana- 
huac  is  a  mass  of  porphyry  characterized  by  the  constant  appearance 
of  hornblende,  and  the  entire  absence  of  quartz,  and  it  contains 
large  and  valuable  deposits  of  gold  and  silver.  These  metals,  however, 
occur  in  various  rocks.  Thus  silver  is  found  in  syenite,  in  the  mines 
of  Comanja,  in  those  of  Guanaxuato  the  richest  in  Mexico,  it  is 
found  in  a  primitive  clay  state,  passing  into  talc-slate,  while  thos<3 
of  Real  del  Cardonal,  Xalaca,  and  Lomo  del  Toro  are  situated  in  a 
bed  of  transition  limestone.  Humboldt  says  that  there  were  in 
his  time  three  thousand  mines  of  silver  and  gold  in  the  country, 
and  before  the  war  of  independence,  they  produced  about  twenty- 
one  millions  of  dollars  in  silver,  and  two  millions  in  gold.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  revolution,  many  of  them  were  deserted ;  and  they 
do  not  yield  more  than  half  of  the  sums  named.  Mining  companies 
were  formed  in  England  for  the  purpose  of  working  these  natural 
sources  of  wealth  properly ;  but  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered 
were  underrated,  and  the  weakness  of  the  government,  the  insecurity 
of  property,  bad  roads,  and  imperfect  mining  processes  have  pre 
vented  their  receiving  any  thing  like  a  fair  return  for  their  enormous 
outlays.  The  Mexicans  themselves  understand  scarcely  any  thing 
of  the  theory  of  mining,  and  their  ignorance  is  only  equalled  by 
their  obstinacy  in  adhering  to  inefficient  and  long  exploded  practices. 
The  quantity  of  silver  annually  obtained  from  the  mines  exceeds 
that  furnished  by  all  the  mines  of  Europe ;  but  the  gold  is  only  in 
proportion  to  the  silver  as  one  to  twenty-six.  A  table  from  1834  to 
1839  exhibits  the  coinage  at  the  mints  of  Mexico  as  ranging  from 
twelve  to  eleven  millions  of  dollars,  but  it  can  hardly  be  depended 
upon.  The  distinguished  traveller,  M.  Chevalier,  presents  a  fair  pic 
ture  of  the  state  of  mining  in  the  following  extract,  penned  in  1835. 
"  How  can  the  mines  be  worked  with  any  feeling  of  security  when 
it  requires  a  little  army  to  escort  the  smallest  portion  of  the  precious 
metals  to  its  place  of  destination.  Between  the  mine  of  Real  del 
Monte  and  the  village  of  Tezcuco  is  a  mountain  pass,  where  a  grand 
battle  was  fought  between  the  miners  and  the  banditti  of  the  country. 
The  former  were  defeated,  overpowered  by  numbers ;  but  not  with 
out  having  sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  The  mine  is  now 
guarded  by  artillery  and  grape-shot,  and  the  Englishmen  employed 
there  are  regularly  drilled  in  the  use  of  the  musket." 

The  principal  mines  are  in  the  States  of  Guanaxuato,  Zacatecas, 
San  Luis  Potosi,  Chihuahua,  Durango,  Guadalaxara,  and  Mexico. 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE.  21 

The, ores  appear  to  increase  in  richness  on  proceeding  north;  those 
in  the  confines  of  Durango  and  Sonora  are  peculiarly  rich,  lie  near 
the  surface,  and  hold  out  a  promise  of  wealth  superior  to  any  that 
Mexico  has  yet  produced.  Iron  is  found  in  great  abundance  in  some 
districts,  but  is  little  worked ;  copper,  tin,  lead,  zinc,  quicksilver, 
and  other  valuable  mineral  productions  have  been  found,  but  with 
the  exception  of  copper,  little  attention  is  paid  to  them. 

The  manufactures  are  in  a  miserable  state,  owing  to  the  total  \\ant 
of  industry  and  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  Mexicans  and  their 
jealousy  of  the  success  of  foreigners,  and  there  is  no  prospect  of  any 
improvement,  so  long  as  the  factories  are  prisons,  in  which  those 
only  are  operatives  who  are  compelled  to  work  in  them  as  a  punish 
ment  for  crime  and  insolvency.  This  lamentable  state  of  things 
results  from  the  selfish  policy  of  the  Spaniards,  who  prohibited  manu 
factures  in  order  to  preserve  for  themselves  a  market.  The  Spaniards 
are  bad  mechanicians,  and  no  efforts  of  foreigners  have  been  able  to 
prevail  on  the  Mexicans  to  deviate  from  the  routine  of  their  fore 
fathers.  In  all  Mexico,  within  a  few  years,  there  was  but  one  manu 
facturer  of  watches  and  optical  instruments  ;  the  use  of  cast  iron  and 
tin  for  culinary  utensils  is  never  attempted;  and  some  merchants, 
who  imported  a  few  wheelbarrows  for  moving  the  bales  of  goods  at 
the  custom-house  in  Vera  Cruz,  could  not  induce  the  workmen  to 
avail  themselves  of  such  an  innovation. 

[HE  commerce  of  Mexico  labours  under  serious 
disadvantages,  which  would  hardly  appear  from 
her  position  on  the  map.  Though  both  the  east 
and  west  coasts  are  washed  by  the  oceans, 
they  are  inaccessible  during  several  months 
of  the  year ;  and  when  this  is  not  the  case, 
they  are  extremely  unhealthy.  Up  to  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century  there  was 
no  commercial  communication  between 
Mexico  and  any  other  country  except  Spain,  and  that  was  almost 
wholly  confined  to  the  products  of  the  mines.  The  ports  were 
opened  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  and  the  Spanish  capi 
talists  retiring  to  Cuba  and  Spain,  gave  place  to  Americans  and 
British,  who  have  continued  to  prosecute  their  enterprises  with  varied 
success,  according  as  the  rancorous  hatred  entertained  by  the  natives 
against  all  who  are  more  prosperous  than  themselves  permitted  or 
prohibited  their  speculations.  The  policy  of  the  government  has 
been  constantly  to  fetter  the  commerce  of  the  country,  fixing  the 
tariff  on  imports  at  an  exorbitant  rate,  and  instead  of  improving  or 
keeping  in  repair  any  of  the  roads,  they  are  suffering  1hem  to  fall 


22  GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 


Mexican  Muleteers. 

into  a  state  of  total  decay.  This  is  especially  the  case  with  the 
national  road,  constructed  at  an  enormous  expense,  by  the  merchants 
of  Vera  Cruz,  under  the  Spaniards,  across  deserts  and  precipices  to 
the  summit  of  the  upper  country.  During  the  war  of  independence, 
it  was  cut  up  at  various  points,  and  the  Mexicans  have  never  replaced 
a  stone,  filled  up  a  trench,  or  cut  down  any  of  the  trees  which  have 
been  allowed  to  spring  up  and  grow  to  a  magnificent  height  in  the 
very  middle  of  the  road.  The  invading  army  of  Americans,  in 
whose  nature  it  is  not  found  to  suffer  such  a  state  of  things  as  this, 
did  more  for  this  great  road  in  their  march  over  it  to  the  capital,  than 
the  government  has  done  since  the  revolution.  "  In  the  upper 
country,"  says  M.  Chevalier,  "  nothing  would  be  more  easy  than  to 
open  noble  means  of  communication.  The  soil  is  naturally  level ; 
and  basaltic  rocks,  particularly  adapted  for  the  construction  of  roads, 
are  found  in  great  abundance.  But  even  where  there  are  roads  the 
Mexicans  make  little  use  of  them.  They  carry  to  a  yet  more  extra 
vagant  length  the  inconceivable  predilection  of  the  Spanish  race  in 
favour  of  transporting  their  goods  on  the  backs  of  animals.  You 
expect  to  meet  with  carts  and  wagons :  no  such  thing  ;  every  thing 
is  conveyed  on  the  backs  of  mules  or  Indians.  Troops  of  little  con 
sumptive  donkeys  bring  into  the  city  in  parcels,  not  much  bigger 
than  a  man's  two  fists,  the  charcoal  required  for  the  culinary  opera 
tions  of  the  inhabitants.  The  price  of  every  bulky  article  is  thus 
increased  to  an  enormous  degree.  The  interior  districts  are  as 
inaccessible  as  if  they  were  cut  off  by  an  enemy's  army,  and  famine 
frequently  ensues." 

The  laws  of  the  country  are  said  to  be  mild  and  just ;  but  if  they 
were  the  contrary,  it  would  make  little  difference,  as  nothing  can  be 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 


'~O 


Robbers  plundering. 

more  appalling  to  citizens  of  well  ordered  states  than  the  anarchy 
which  has  hitherto  universally  prevailed.  The  frequent  changes  in 
the  government  have  prevented  any  measures  for  the  restoration  of 
law  and  order,  and  the  whole  country  teems  with  lobbers.  Seldom 
did  a  diligence  pass  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico  without  being 
stopped  and  robbed,  and  sometimes  black-mail  was  levied  more  than 
once.  The  environs  of  the  large  cities  are  all  infested  with  malefac 
tors,  who  are  at  all  times  ready  to  perform  a  deed  of  violence.  An 
English  charge  d'affaires  was  lassoed  at  midday  on  the  Alameda  or 
public  walk  of  Mexico,  and  ministers  have  been  several  times  robbed 
of  their  private  despatches  by  desperadoes  in  the  service  of  the 
government  itself.  Insurrections  have  become  so  common  that  we 
are  almost  able  to  give  regulations  for  conducting  them.  "The  first 
act  is  called  a  pronunciamiento.  An  officer  of  any  rank,  from  a  general 
down  to  a  lieutenant,  pronounces  himself  against  the  established  order, 
or  against  an  institution  which  displeases  him,  or  against  any  thing 
else.  He  gets  together  a  detachment,  a  company,  or  a  regiment,  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  these  generally,  without  more  ado,  place  them 
selves  at  his  disposal.  The  second  act  is  called  the  grito,  or  outcry, 
when  two  or  three  articles  are  drawn  up  to  state  the  motives  or 
objects  of  the  insurrection.  If  the  matter  is  of  some  importance  the 
outcry  is  called  a  plan.  At  the  third  act  the  insurgents  and  the 
partisans  of  government  are  opposed  to  one  another,  and  mutually 
examine  each  other's  forces.  At  the  fourth  act  they  come  to  blows  ; 
but,  according  to  the  improved  system  lately  introduced,  the  fighting 
is  carried  on  in  a  very  distant,  moderate,  and  respectful  manner. 
However,  one  party  is  declared  victor,  and  the  beaten  party  dispro- 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 


Mexican  Inn,  between  Jalapa  and  Puebla. 

nounces.  The  conquerors  march  to  Mexico,  arid  their  triumphal 
entry  into  the  capital  constitutes  the  fifth  act  of  the  play ;  the  van 
quished,  meanwhile,  embark  at  Vera  Cruz  or  Tampico  with  all  the 
honours  of  war."* 

In  a  country  like  Mexico,  the  military  is  a  favourite  service  from 
the  high  pay  and  privileges  of  the  soldier,  and  the  fact  that  the  army 
is  the  only  school  of  promotion  to  civic  rank.  The  troops  and  their 
officers  generally  have  no  ideas  whatever  of  honour,  and  aije  as 
faithless  and  treacherous  as  they  are  revengeful. 

The  Roman  Catholic  is  the  established  religion,  but  its  influence 
over  the  white  people  is  far  less  than  has  been  represented,  while 
the  Indians,  never  thoroughly  converted,  are  relapsing  into  idolatry. 
This  maybe  in  part  owing  to  the  expulsion  of  the  Spanish  priests  and 
monks  during  the  revolution,  and  the  substitution  in  their  stead  of 
an  order  of  Creoles,  of  no  particular  morals.  They  are  required  to 
teach  all  the  people  to  read  and  write,  but  the  work  is  not  performed, 
and  the  higher  branches  of  learning  can  hardly  be  acquired  in  the 
country. 

The  number  of  the  population  has  been  variously  estimated,  the 
most  correct  being  probably  about  seven  millions.  The  inhabitants 
are  remarkable  for  the  distinctions  which  characterize  them  into 
classes.  Four  grades  may  be  enumerated,  all  of  which  are  more  or 
less  rivals  of  each  other.  First,  there  are  the  pure  Spaniards,  who 
once  numbered  eighty  thousand,  b'ut  do  not  now  exceed  twenty- five 

*  Chevalier. 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 

thousand,  and  as  far  as  politics  are  concerned,  are  a  degraded  class. 
The  second  class  is  the  wealthiest  and  most  powerful  part  of  the 
population,  estimated  by  Chevalier  to  number  one  million  three  hun 
dred  thousand,  known  as  Creoles,  or  native  whites  of  European 
descent.  Then  come  the  native  Mexicans,  or  Indians,  numbering 
about  three  millions  eight  hundred  thousand,  and  constituting  the 
great  body  of  rural  labourers ;  and  lastly,  we  have  the  mixed  castes, 
mestizoes,  mulattoes,  zamboes,  quadroons,  and  quinteroons,  exceed 
ing  in  number  one  million  nine  hundred  thousand.  All  distinctions 
of  colour  have  been  done  away  with,  politically,  by  the  revolution. 
Formerly  it  was  one  of  the  royal  prerogatives  to  admit  one  of  any 
shade  to  the  exclusive  privileges  of  a  wThite,  by  decreeing  athat  he 
be  deemed  white."  The  mulattoes  and  zamboes  reside  principally  in 
the  low  countries,  the  whites  on  the  table-land.  The  Indians  are 
divided  into  many  tribes,  speaking  about  twenty  different  languages. 
They  are  still  characterized  as  they  were  at  the  time  of  the  conquest, 
by  indolence,  gross  superstition,  and  blind  submission  to  their  supe 
riors.  Their  religion  appears  to  be  changed  more  in  form  than  in 
any  thing  else,  as  they  seem  to  look  on  the  processions  and  cere 
monies  of  the  Catholic  church  with  the  same  unthinking,  childish 
delight  that  their  ancestors  viewed  the  mummeries  of  their  idolatry. 
They  are  scattered  over  the  country  as  labourers,  artisans,  workmen, 
or  beggars ;  the  latter  occupation  or  profession,  as  it  might  be  called 
in  Mexico,  being  as  numerously  patronized  as  either  of  the  others. 
They  would  seem  to  be  incapable  of  any  high  degree  of  civilization, 
but  are  susceptible  of  great  improvement  upon  their  present  state. 
They  are  classed  into  two  great  divisions ;  the  Mansoes,  who  have  a 
fixed  residence,  cultivate  the  land,  and  maintain  amicable  relations 
with  the  other  races ;  and  the  Bravoes,  who  live  a  wandering  life, 
supported  by  hunting,  avoiding  intercourse  with  other  tribes,  and 
frequently  at  war  with  them  and  each  other.  They  principally 
inhabit  the  northern  states  along  the  river  Gila.  An  independent 
tribe,  called  Mayas,  inhabits  the  tract  between  Yucatan,  Tabasco,  and 
Central  America. 

"  In  the  Tierras  Calientes,"  says  Chevalier,  "  and  even  on  the 
plateau,  the  natives  are  content  to  dwell  with  their  families  in  a  cabin 
of  bamboo  trellis- work,  so  slight  as  scarcely  to  hide  them  from  the 
stranger's  gaze,  and  to  sleep  either  on  mere  mats,  or  at  best  on  beds 
made  of  leaves  and  brushwood.  Their  dress  consists  simply  of  a 
pair  of  drawers  or  petticoat,  and  a  serape,  (a  dyed  woollen  garment,) 
which  serves  for  a  cloak  by  day,  and  a  counterpane  by  night.  Each 
has  his  horse,  a  sorry  beast,  which  feeds  at  large  in  the  open  country  ; 
and  a  whole  family  of  Indians  is  amply  supplied  with  food  by  ba- 
C  4 


26 


GEOGRAPHICAL     OUTLINE. 


nanas,  chili,  and  maize,  raised  almost  without  labour,  in  a  small 
inclosure  round  the  hut.  Labour,  indeed,  occupies  but  a  trifling 
portion  of  the  Indian's  time,  which  is  chiefly  spent  in  drinking 
pulque,  sleep,  or  singing  to  his  wretched  maudlins  hymns  in  honour 
of  Notre  Dame  de  Guadalupe,  and  occasionally  carrying  votive 
chaplets  to  deck  the  altar  of  his  village  church.  Thus  he  passes  his 
life  in  dreamy  indifference,  and  utterly  careless  of  the  ever-reviving 
emeutes  by  which  the  peace  of  Mexico  is  disturbed.  The  assassina 
tions  and  robberies  which  the  almost  impotent  government  allows  to 
be  committed  with  impunity  on  the  public  roads,  and  even  in  sight 
of  the  capital,  are  to  him  only  matter  for  conversation,  the  theme  of 
a  tale  or  ditty.  And  why  should  he  trouble  himself  about  it  ?  Hav 
ing  nothing  in  the  world  but  the  dress  in  which  he  stands,  his  lance, 
spurs,  and  guitar,  he  has  no  fear  of  thieves ;  nor  will  the  poniard 
of  the  assassin  touch  him,  if  he  himself,  drunk  with  pulque  or  chinga 
rito,  do  not  use  his  own." 


Mexican  Cavalry  at  a  Pulque  shop,  between  San  Martin  and  Puebla. 


Indian  hut,  in  the  Tierra  Caliente. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  AZTEC  EMPIRE  BEFORE  THE  CONQUEST.' 


HE  most  conspicuous  of  the 
races  that  preceded  the  Aztecs 
or  ancient  Mexicans  in  the 
sovereignty  of  the  territory  of 
Anahuac,  were  the  Toltecs. 
They  advanced  into  the  coun 
try  from  the  northward  about 
the  close  of  the  seventh  cen 
tury,  and  appear  to  have  intro 
duced  many  of  the  most  useful  mechanic  arts,  an  improved  system 
of  agriculture,  the  working  of  metals,  and  so  good  a  style  of  archi- 

*  As  authority  for  this  chapter  we  have  relied  entirely  upon  the  First  Book  of 
Mr.  Prescott's  History  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico,  (vol.  i.  pp.  3-208,)  not  because  we 
had  not  at  hand  abundance  of  other  material  for  the  same  purpose,  but  because  we 
esteem  Mr.  Prescott  the  best  possible  authority,  and  his  history  incomparably  the  best 
of  the  ancient  Mexicans  and  the  Conquest. 

(27) 


^8  THE   AZTEC   EMPIRE. 

tecture  that  their  name  has  become  a  synonyme  for  architect.  They 
extended  their  sway  over  the  whole  territory  of  Anahuac,  and  after 
exercising  their  authority  during  a  period  of  four  centuries  they  silently 
and  mysteriously  disappeared.  Famine,  pestilence,  and  unsuccessful 
wars  are  assigned  as  the  cause  of  their  removal,  and  it  is  supposed, 
by  some  writers,  that  they  passed  into  Central  America,  there  to  found 
Mitla,  and  the  more  famous  Palenque,  whose  ruins  have  so  well 
employed  the  graphic  pen  of  our  countryman,  Stephens.  The  grounds 
of  this  supposition  are  found  in  the  accounts  given  by  the  con 
querors  of  the  remains  of  their  ancient  capital,  Tula,  north  of  the 
Mexican  valley,  and  the  ruins  of  noble  structures  still  found  in  the 
country  and  attributed  to  the  Toltecs. 

A  century  after  their  disappearance  a  rude  tribe  called  the  Chi- 
chemecs,  entered  the  country  from  the  north-west,  and  were  speedily 
followed  by  other  races  of  higher  civilization,  who  seem  to  have 
been  of  the  same  family  with  the  Toltecs ;  the  Aztecs,  or  Mexicans, 
and  the  Acolhuans,  better  known  by  their  later  name  of  Tezcucans, 
from  that  of  their  capital  on  the  western  border  of  the  lake. 
The  Tezcucans  fraternized  with  the  few  remaining  Toltecs,  and  be 
came  missionaries  of  civilization  to  the  Chichemecs.  The  increase 
of  strength  derived  from  this  union  enabled  the  Acolhuans  to  extend 
their  empire  over  the  ruder  tribes  in  the  north  ;  but  the  still  more 
warlike  kindred  tribe  of  Tepanecs  who  inhabited  the  same  valley, 
made  an  attack  upon  them,  beat  their  armies,  assassinated  their  king, 
and  captured  their  metropolis.  Nezahualcoyotl,  the  crown  prince, 
displayed  at  this  critical  juncture  the  greatest  ability,  and  by  the 
timely  aid  of  the  Aztecs  raised  his  race  from  this  abject  state  to  a 
new  career  of  prosperity  and  glory. 

These  Aztecs  had  arrived  from  the  remote  regions  of  the  north,  on 
the  borders  of  Anahuac,  towards  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  cen 
tury,  but  they  wandered  about  for  many  years  without  establishing 
themselves.  At  one  time  they  were  enslaved  by  a  more  powerful 
tribe,  but  they  regained  their  freedom,  and  finally  ended  their  migra 
tion  by  founding,  in  1325,  the  city  of  Tenochtitlan,  now  known  only 
by  its  other  name  Mexico,  derived  from  Mexitli,  the  appellation  of 
their  god  of  war.  The  translation  of  the  former  name  is  "  a  cactus, 
on  a  stone,"  and  has  reference  to  the  miraculous  origin  of  the  city. 
The  coat  of  arms  of  the  Mexican  republic,  the  eagle  and  the  cactus 
also  refers  to  this  legend,  which  relates  that  on  their  arrival  at  the 
shores  of  the  lake  "they  beheld  perched  on  the  stem  of  a  prickl) 
pear  which  shot  out  from  the  crevice  of  a  rock  washed  by  the  waves, 
a  royal  eagle  of  extraordinary  size  and  beauty,  with  a  serpent  in 
his  talons,  and  his  broad  wings  opened  to  the  rising  sun.  They 


THE    AZTEC   EMPIRE. 


29 


The  Mexican  Coat  of  Arms. 

hailed  the  auspicious  omen  announced  by  the  oracle  as  indicating 
the  site  of  their  future  city,  and  laid  its  foundations  by  sinking 
piles  into  the  shallows ;  for  the  low  marshes  were  half  buried  under 
water.  Upon  these  they  erected  their  light  fabrics  of  reeds  and 
rushes ;  and  sought  a  precarious  subsistence  from  fishing,  and  from 
the  wild  fowl  which  frequented  the  waters,  as  well  as  from  the  culti 
vation  of  such  simple  vegetables  as  they  could  raise  on  their  floating 
gardens.  *****  « Such,"  says  the  eloquent  historian, 
"were  the  humble  beginnings  of  the  Venice  of  the  western  world."* 

Domestic  feuds  rendered  the  condition  of  the  new  settlers  still 
worse,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  they  could  aspire  to  the  acqui 
sition  of  territory  on  the  main  land.  The  increase  of  their  numbers, 
however,  and  their  improvements  in  civilization  and  military  disci 
pline  at  length  won  for  them  a  reputation  for  courage  which  inspired 
terror  because  they  united  with  their  bravery  great  cruelty.  A  hun 
dred  years  after  the  foundation  of  their  city,  they  assumed  a  new 
position  and  a  different  character  among  the  tribes  of  the  plain  of 
Anahuac. 

The  assassination  of  the  king  of  the  Tezcucans  and  the  capture  of 
their  chief  city  by  the  Tepanecs,  would  have  terminated  for  ever  the 
Tezcucan  dynasty  but  for  the  character  of  Nezahualcoyotl,  whose 
history  for  ten  years  after  the  murder  of  his  father,  when  he  was  but 

*  Prescott,  Conquest  of  Mexico. 


30 


THE    AZTEC   EMPIRE. 


Nezahualcoyotl. 

fifteen  years  of  age,  is  as  romantic  as  that  of  Alfred  the  Great,  of 
Scanderbeg,  or  of  Charles  the  Second.  The  usurper  was  succeeded 
on  the  throne  of  the  Tepanecs  by  his  son  Maxtla,  a  man  of  a  fierce, 
suspicious,  and  tyrannical  disposition,  who  awakened  the  sympathy 
of  all  classes  by  his  incessant  persecution  of  the  royal  prince,  while 
he  estranged  the  hearts  of  his  subjects  and  neighbours  from  himself 
by  his  oppressions.  Recalling  to  mind  the  mild  rule  of  the  Tezcu- 
can  princes,  the  people  were  beginning  to  sigh  for  their  restoration 
at  the  moment  when  the  active  friends  of  the  royal  exile,  loving  him 
for  his  worth,  were  forming  a  coalition  for  his  relief.  An  insurrec 
tion  followed,  Nezahualcoyotl  soon  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
strong  force,  with  which  he  routed  the  Tepanec  army,  and  seated 
himself  on  the  re-established  throne  of  Tezcuco.  The  Mexicans 
lent  him  their  aid,  and  the  allied  powers,  after  several  bloody  battles, 
routed  the  usurper  under  the  walls  of  his  own  capital.  He  fled  to 
the  baths,  whence  he  was  dragged  forth  to  be  sacrificed  by  the 
Aztecs.  His  city  was  razed  to  the  ground,  and  his  territories  were 
awarded  to  the  Mexicans  in  return  for  their  valuable  assistance. 

A  league  offensive  and  defensive  was  then  made  between  the  three 
states,  Tezcuco,  Mexico,  and  Tlacopan,  in  agreement  with  the  terms 
of  which  they  all  shared  in  each  other's  councils,  embarked  in  each 
other's  enterprises,  and  moved  together  until  just  before  the  coming 
of  the  Spaniards.  This  league  provided  for  the  distribution  of  the 
subjugated  lands  among  the  parties,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  re 
markable  facts  in  history,  that  duiing  a  century  of  uninterrupted 
warfare  which  ensued,  no  quarrel  occurred  over  the  division  of  the 
spoil,  but  the  treaty  was  maintained  inviolate. 


THE     AZTEC     EMPIRE. 


31 


The  first  measure  of  Nezahualcoyotl,  on  his  restoration,  was  the 
declaration  of  a  general  amnesty.  He  then  established  a  code  of 
laws,  which,  for  their  severity,  entitle  him  to  the  name  of  the  Draco 
of  Anahuac,  but  which  were  esteemed  so  admirable  that  the  other 
two  tribes  adopted  them  as  their  own.  The  duties  of  the  govern 
ment  he  divided  among  a  number  of  departments,  the  Council  of 
State,  the  Council  of  War,  the  Council  of  Finance,  the  Council  of 
Justice,  and,  what  is  most  remarkable,  the  Council  of  Music,  whose 
province  it  was  to  encourage  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  to  exercise  a 
censorship  over  all  works  presented  for  publication,  and  to  constitute 
a  general  board  of  education  for  the  country.  On  stated  days,  his 
torical  compositions,  poems,  &c.,  were  read  before  a  session,  which 
the  three  kings  of  the  empire  honoured  with  their  presence. 

"Architecture,"  says  Mr.  Prescott,  "  is  the  form  in  which  the 
revenues  of  a  semi-civilized  people  are  most  likely  to  be  lavished. 
The  most  gaudy  and  ostentatious  specimens  of  it,  and  sometimes  the 
most  stupendous  have  been  reared  by  such  hands.  It  is  one  of  the 
first  steps  in  the  great  march  of  civilization. 

UT  the  institution  in  question  was  evi 
dence  of  still  higher  refinement.  It  was 
a  literary  luxury ;  and  argued  the  exist 
ence  of  a  taste  in  the  nation,  which 
relied  for  its  gratification  on  pleasures  of 
a  purely  intellectual  character.  Its 
influence  was  felt  throughout  the  empire, 
and  its  institution  fairly  entitles  the  capi 
tal  to  the  glory  of  being  the  Athens  of 
the  Western  world. 
"  The  Tezcucan  monarch  himself  entered  the  field  of  literary  com 
petition  as  a  poet,  and  specimens  of  his  works,  preserved  by  his 
descendants,  evince  signal  ability.  But  his  time  was  not  wholly 
given  to  the  labours  of  the  study  and  the  cabinet.  The  camp 
received  an  equal  share  of  his  attention.  He  led  the  armies  of  the 
allied  nations  in  their  annual  expeditions  in  person,  and  annually 
enlarged  his  realm  and  its  resources.  The  captives  taken  in  war 
were  employed  as  labourers  on  the  public  works,  and  the  immense 
royal  palace  and  the  villas  of  the  king.  These  latter  were  embel 
lished  with  all  that  could  make  a  rural  retreat  delightful,  and  some 
remains  of  their  magnificence  are  still  extant,  among  which,  an  exca 
vation  in  the  solid  porphyry  is  shown  to  the  traveller  by  the  ignorant 
people  as  the  Bath  of  Montezuma." 

The  history  of  Nezahualcoyotl  has  been  preserved  by  his  son  arid 
grandson,  and  repeated  from  their  accounts  by  a  later  descendant, 


THE     AZTEC     EMPIRE. 


Bath  of  Montezuma, 

Ixtlilxochitl.  It  is  filled  with  the  most  pleasing  anecdotes  of  his 
clemency  and  justice,  and  on  the  other  hand  narrates  as  the  basest 
action  in  their  ancestor's  life,  an  account  of  his  obtaining  to  wife  the 
betrothed  of  another  by  sending  him  to  be  slain  in  battle  against  the 
Tlascalans.  This  lady  he  made  his  wife,  but  for  a  long  time  had  no 
Issue  by  her.  He  at  length  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded  by  the 
priests  to  endeavour  to  propitiate  the  gods  by  a  human  sacrifice,  but 
it  was  of  none  effect,  and  the  king  exclaimed,  "  These  idols  of  wood 
and  stone  can  neither  hear  nor  feel ;  much  less  could  they  make  the 
heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  man,  the  lord  of  it.  These  must  be  the 
work  of  the  all  powerful  and  unknown  God,  creator  of  the  universe, 
on  whom  alone  I  must  rely  for  consolation  and  support." 

He  withdrew  to  his  rural  palace  of  Tezcotzinco,  and  commenced 
the  worship  of  "  the  unknown  God,  the  cause  of  causes,"  by  a  fast 
of  forty  days,  offering  no  other  sacrifices  than  the  incense  of  copal 
and  aromatic  herbs  and  gums.  He  afterwards  built  a  temple  to  the 
invisible  God,  without  images.  Shortly  after  his  abandonment  of 
idolatry,  his  desires  for  an  heir  were  realized,  an  event  which  tended 
still  further  to  fix  him  in  his  new  faith.  As  he  grew  old,  he  retired 
to  the  delicious  solitudes  of  Tezcotzinco,  where  he  devoted  himself 
to  study  and  to  meditation  on  his  immortal  destiny. 


THE    AZTEC    EMPIRE 


33 


Nezahualpilli. 

His  death  occurred  about  the  year  1470,  nearly  half  a  century  after 
the  commencement  of  his  reign.  He  was  succeeded  on  the  throne 
by  his  son,  Nezahualpilli,  then  only  eight  years  of  age.  This  prince 
was  only  less  remarkable  than  his  father  for  his  wisdom,  piety,  and 
rigid  justice.  Of  the  latter,  we  need  only  quote  as  an  example  the 
delivery  of  his  eldest  son  into  the  hand  of  the  executioner,  in  accord 
ance  with  the  sentence  of  the  tribunal  before  which  he  was  brought 
for  maintaining  a  correspondence  with  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  court. 
That  he  had  the  feelings  of  a  father,  however,  is  proved  by  his  grief 
at  the  occurrence.  He  shut  himself  up  for  many  weeks,  and  com 
manded  the  doors  and  windows  of  his  son's  residence  to  be  walled 
up,  that  it  might  never  again  be  occupied. 

Nezahualpilli  was  warlike  in  his  youth,  but  became  more  and  more 
wedded  to  the  pursuit  of  learning  as  he  advanced  in  years.  Astro 
nomical  lore  was  his  chief  delight,  and  he  spent  the  most  of  his  time 
in  the  study  of  that  science,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of 
Tezcotzinco.  This  quiet  life,  however,  did  not  accord  with  the 
temper  of  the  times,  nor  with  that  of  the  wily  head  of  the  Aztec  race, 
Montezuma.  The  distant  provinces  threw  off  their  allegiance ;  dis 
affection  and  turbulence  entered  the  army;  and  Montezuma,  by  a 
mixture  of  cunning  and  force,  plundered  his  amiable  rival  of  a  large 
part  of  his  most  valuable  domains,  and  then  arrogated  to  himself  the 
title  and  supremacy  of  emperor,  which  the  Tezcucan  princes  had 
heretofore  borne  by  virtue  of  their  position  as  head  of  the  alliance. 

These  misfortunes  hastened  the  death  of  Nezahualpilli,  who  sank 
into  the  grave  in  1515,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two. 


3-*  THE    AZTEC    EMPIRE. 

Under  the  sway  of  Montezuma,  the  arms  of  the  allied  nations, 
which  had  before  extended  the  imperial  dominion  over  all  the  valley, 
spread  his  rule  down  the  sides  of  the  table-land  to  the  borders  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  progress  of  the  empire  was  accompanied  by 
a  corresponding  improvement  in  the  capital,  Tenochtitlan,  which  ex 
tended  itself  over  an  area  exceeding  that  which  it  now  occupies.  A 
succession  of  able  princes  filled  the  throne,  who  returned  annually 
from  the  scenes  of  their  conquests,  attended  by  crowds  of  captives, 
laden  with  the  spoils  of  their  own  cities.  When  the  Spaniards  landed 
on  their  coast,  their  dominion  extended  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
the  Pacific,  and  into  the  farthest  corners  of  Guatimala  and  Nicaragua, 
whither  their  arms  had  been  led  by  the  great  Ahuitzotl 


Ahuitzotl. 


>  .'/  U  ^TitT    /*  °  O  '  "  -- •'' -  r 

N  Hp  p  I^Q ^  [  j/j  >  iril^- x 


Sculptured  stone  in  Monte  of  Mapilca. 


CHAPTER  III. 


MANNERS,    CUSTOMS.    AND    SOCIAL    CONDITION    OF    THE   AZTECS. 


HE  advance  in  civilization  brought 
about  among  the  Tezcucans  by  the 
good  Nezahualcoyotl  and  his  suc 
cessor  has  already  been  noticed.  We 
come  now  to  view  the  social  condition  of 
the  Aztec  race,  whose  increase  in  wealth 
had  early  produced  a  love  of  pomp  and 
magnificence  in  their  modes  of  living  and  in 
their  structures.  Their  government  was  an 
elective  monarchy.  The  sovereign  was  chosen 
from  the  brothers  or  nephews  of  the  deceased  prince,  by  an  electoral 
body  of  four  nobles,  who  chose  their  own  successors.  The  necessary 
qualifications  must  of  course  be  possessed  by  a  candidate  who  would 
hope  to  be  successful  under  such  a  system,  and  its  practical  results 
made  its  advantages  apparent.  Able  .princes  succeeded  each  other 
and  guided  the  warlike  and  ambitious  people  successfully  to  con- 

(35) 


36  MANNERS   AND    CUSTOMS. 

quest  and  glory.  The  rule  seems  to  have  been  to  choose  a  man  dis 
tinguished  in  war,  but  an  exception  is  found  in  Montezuma,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  priesthood. 

The  ceremony  of  coronation  was  not  performed  until  the  monarch 
returned  from  a  victorious  campaign,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  cap 
tives  to  grace  his  entry,  and  furnish  victims  for  the  human  sacrifices, 
which  formed  a  considerable  part  of  the  ceremonies  attending  his 
installation.  The  crown  was  placed  on  his  head  by  the  king  of 
Tezcuco,  as  the  most  powerful  of  his  subject  allies.  The  legislative 
power  rested  wholly  with  the  monarch,  the  executive  with  judicial 
tribunals,  the  higher  authorities  being  appointed  for  life  by  the  king, 
but  wholly  independent  of  the  crown  when  in  office,  while  the 
lower  magistrates  were  chosen  by  the  people.  The  king  was  assisted 
in  the  government  by  a  number  of  bodies  of  councillors,  the  chief 
of  which  was  a  sort  of  privy  council,  composed  of  the  four  nobles 
who  chose  the  successor  to  the  crown.  It  appears  that  the  most 
important  offices  and  the  governments  of  the  provinces  and  cities 
were  engrossed  by  the  nobles,  who  mostly  resided  on  their  estates 
like  independent  princes,  but  were  obliged  to  render  military  service, 
and  according  to  some  authorities,  to  keep  hostages  at  the  capital. 
In  the  courts,  no  counsel  was  employed,  the  parties  stating  their  own 
case,  and  bringing  forward  their  own  witnesses.  The  clerk  kept  a 
record  of  the  proceedings  in  hieroglyphical  writing,  which  was 
handed  over  to  the  court ;  in  capital  cases,  where  a  criminal  was 
condemned  to  death,  the  death  warrant  was  issued  by  drawing  an 
arrow  over  his  picture  in  the  record  of  the  proceedings.  Death  was 
the  punishment  for  almost  every  offence  in  civil  and  in  military  life, 
and  among  capital  crimes  was  ranked  intemperance. 

LAVERY  existed  in  the  community,  under 
more  liberal  regulations  than  ever  attended 
it  elsewhere.  The  slaves  were  of  four 
classes,  prisoners  of  war,  who  were  reserved 
for  public  sacrifice,  criminals,  public  debtors,  volun 
tary  slaves,  and  children  sold  by  their  parents,  the 
two  latter  classes  resulting  from  the  poverty  of  indi 
viduals.  The  slave  was  allowed  to  have  his  own 
family,  to  hold  property,  and  to  have  other  slaves,  and  his  children 
were  always  born  free.  Poverty  of  the  master  was  the  only  reason 
for  the  sale  of  a  slave,  except  the  latter's  own  bad  conduct;  the 
second  time  viciousness  rendered  the  sale  of  a  slave  necessary,  he 
was  liable  to  be  reserved  for  sacrifice.  The  royal  income  appears  to 
have  been  raised  by  direct  taxation  upon  the  agriculture  and  manu 
factures  of  the  realm,  the  assessment  bein'g  frequently  paid  in  kind 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS.  37 

Defaulting  taxables  were  liable  to  be  sold  as  slaves,  and  with  the 
increased  magnificence  of  the  court,  the  taxes  became  so  heavy, 
that  many  of  the  subjects  of  Montezuma  welcomed  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards  as  deliverers.  Despatches  were  borne  by  trained  couriers, 
from  station  to  station,  with  such  speed  that  a  message  could  be 
transmitted  from  one  to  two  hundred  miles  a  day,  and  this  system 
was  so  complete  that  the  court  was  kept  in  constant  receipt  of  intel 
ligence  respecting  the  movements  and  success  of  the  armies. 

The  tutelary  deity  of  the  Aztecs  was  the  God  of  war,  and  the 
chief  aim  of  their  institutions  was  to  foster  and  elevate  the  profession 
of  arms.  The  king  must  needs  be  a  successful  warrior,  and  the 
nobles  and  even  the  members  of  the  royal  family  were  prohibited 
from  wearing  other  than  a  coarse  dress,  until  by  their  deeds  they 
had  established  a  title  to  admission  into  the  order  of  knighthood, 
which  had  been  formed.  The  magnificence  of  dress  of  the  war 
riors  corresponded  with  their  rank,  and  in  the  army  promotion 
was  open  to  all.  The  lower  orders  were  stimulated  to  deeds  of 
heroism  by  the  assurance  that  the  soldier  slain  in  battle  was  admitted 
immediately  to  the  enjoyment  of  eternal  happiness  in  the  bright  re 
gions  of  the  sun.  Their  great  object  in  battle  was  to  make  captives, 
in  order  that  their  deity  might  have  victims,  and  the  valour  of  a 
warrior  was  estimated  by  the  number  of  his  prisoners.  These  were 
never  scalped.  Their  discipline  drew  forth  encomiums  from  their 
Spanish  adversaries,  and  the  skill  of  the  surgeons  in  their  well  esta 
blished  hospitals  no  doubt  merited  the  praise  bestowed  on  them  by 
the  old  chronicler,  who  preferred  them  to  the  surgeons  of  Europe, 
because  lt  they  did  not  protract  the  cure  in  order  to  increase  the  pay."* 
N  their  religion,  the  Aztecs  recognized  the  existence  of  a 
supreme  being  of  sublime  attributes,  to  whom  was  added 
thirteen  principal  deities,  and  some  two  hundred  inferior, 
each  with  a  particular  function.  At  the  head  of  all  was  the 
war-god,  Huitzilopotchli,  the  patron  deity  of  the  nation, 
whose  altars  reeked  with  the  blood  of  hecatombs  of  human 
victims  in  every  city.  Quetzalcoatl  was  the  god  of  the 
air,  who  taught  them  the  use  of  metals,  and  agriculture,  and  the  art 
of  government,  whose  terrestrial  residence  in  fact  formed  the  golden 
age  of  Anahuac.  He  incurred  the  anger  of  one  of  the  principal 
deities,  and  was  banished  the  country.  On  his  way,  he  stopped  at 
Cholula,  where  are  still  found  the  interesting  ruins  of  a  temple  dedi 
cated  to  his  worship.f  When  he  embarked  from  the  shores  of  the 

*  Prescott's  Conquest  of  Mexico,  vol.  i.  48. 

This  celebrated  monument  is  thus  described  T)y  Baron  Humboldt: 
«*  The  pyramid  of  Cholula,"  says  h«,  "  is  exactly  of  the  same  height  as  that  of  Tonatiuh 

D 


38 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS. 


Pyramid  of  Cholula. 

gulf,  in  his  boat  made  of  serpents'  skins,  he  bade  his  followers  fare 
well,  promising  to  return  to  them  at  some  future  day  with  his  de 
scendants.  This  remarkable  tradition  was  universally  known,  and 
the  promised  return  was  constantly  expected ;  a  circumstance  which 
proved  of  considerable  advantage  to  the  Spaniards.* 

In  their  ideas  of  a  future  state,  the  Mexicans  evinced  a  degree  of 
progress  that  seems  to  be  attributable  to  the  Tezcucans,  so  incon 
gruous  is  it  with  the  other  parts  of  their  religious  creed. 

The  wicked  were  consigned  after  death  to  a  place  of  everlasting 
darkness;  those  who  died  of  certain  diseases,  were  subjected  to  an 
existence  of  indolent  contentment ;  while  those  who  fell  in  battle  or 
died  on  the  sacrificial  stone,  were  transported  at  once  to  the  presence 
of  the  sun,  whom  they  accompanied  for  some  years  in  his  course 

Ytxaqual  at  Teotihuacan.  It  is  three  metres  higher  than  that  of  Mycerinus,  or  the 
third  of  the  great  Egyptian  pyramids  of  the  group  of  Djizeh.  Its  base,  however,  is  larger 
than  that  of  any  pyramid  hitherto  discovered  hy  travellers  in  the  old  world,  and  is  double 
of  that  known  as  the  pyramid  of  Cheops. 

Those  who  wish  to  form  an  idea  of  the  immense  mass  of  this  Mexican  monument  by  the 
comparison  of  objects  best  known  to  them,  may  imagine  a  square  four  times  greater  than  that 
of  the  Place  Vendome,  in  Paris,  covered  with  layers  of  bricks,  rising  to  twice  the  elevation 
of  the  Louvre.  Some  persons  imagine  that  the  whole  of  the  edifice  is  not  artificial ;  but  as 
far  as  explorations  have  been  made,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  is  entirely  a  work 
of  art.  In  its  present  state,  (and  we  are  ignorant  of  its  perfect  original  height,)  its  per 
pendicular  proportion  is  to  its  base  as  eight  to  one,  while  in  the  three  great  pyramids 
of  Djizeh,  ihe  proportion  is  found  to  be  one  six-tenths  to  one  seven-tenths  to  one ;  01 
nearly  as  eight  to  five. 

*   Prescott.  vol.  i.  60. 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS. 


39 


through  the  heavens,  and  then  went  to  animate  the  clouds  and  sing 
ing  birds  of  beautiful  plumage,  and  to  revel  amidst  the  rich  blossoms 
and  odours  of  the  gardens  of  paradise.  At  death,  the  corpse  of  a 
person  was  clothed  in  habiliments  peculiar  to  his  tutelar  deity, 
strewed  with  pieces  of  paper,  to  preserve  him  from  the  dangers  of  the 
road  he  had  to  travel.  Slaves,  if  he  were  rich,  were  sacrificed  at  his 
obsequies ;  his  body  was  burned,  and  the  ashes  collected  into  a  vase, 
and  preserved  in  his  house. 

HE  ceremony  of  conferring  a  name  upon 
infants  was  very  nearly  akin  with  that 
of  Christian  baptism.  The  lips  and 
bosom  of  the  child  were  sprinkled  with 
water,  and  "  the  Lord  was  implored  to 
permit  the  holy  drops  to  wash  away 
the  sin  that  was  given  to  it  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  so  that  the 
child  might  be  born  anew.7'* 

The  sacerdotal  order  was  exceedingly 
numerous,  and  the  priests,  adding  to 
their  usual  functions  great  learning  in  the  sciences  of  astrology  and 
divination,  obtained  an  ascendancy  over  the  minds  of  the  people, 
such  as  has  probably  never  been  equalled.  They  taught  the  choirs, 
they  arranged  the  festivals,  they  educated  the  youth,  and  to  them 
was  confided  the  task  of  preserving  the  historical  records  of  the 
country,  whether  in  hieroglyphical  writings  or  oral  traditions.  Two 
high  priests  were  at  the  head  of  their  establishment,  inferior  only  to 
the  sovereign,  who  rarely  presumed  to  act  upon  any  important  matter 
without  their  advice. 

The  priests  were  each  devoted  to  some  particular  deity,  and  had 
their  residence  assigned  them  in  some  part  of  the  temple,  where  they 
lived  in  strict  conventual  discipline,  practising  austerities  equally 
severe  with  any  known  to  monastic  fanaticism.  They  were  allowed 
to  marry,  however,  and  have  families  of  their  own.  They  adminis 
tered  the  rites  of  the  confessional  and  absolution,  imposing  penances, 
as  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  The  repetition  of  an  offence  once 
atoned  for  was  deemed  inexpiable,  wherefore  confession  was  usually 
deferred  to  an  advanced  period  in  life,  when  the  sinner  settled  up 
accounts  with  his  'conscience,  as  a  preparatory  step  to  making  his 
will.  Priestly  absolution  was  received  instead  of  the  legal  punish 
ment  of  offences,  and  a  criminal,  when  arrested,  was  set  at  liberty, 
on  producing  the  certificate  of  his  confession. 

Nor  was  the  maintenance  of  the  priests  neglected.     It  was  amply 

*  Prescott,  vol.  i.  63-4. 


40 


MANNERS  AND    CUSTOMS. 


Great  Teocalli,  or  Temple  of  Mexico.     From  an  old  print 

provided  for  by  grants  of  lands,  and  by  the  devotion  of  the  princes 
and  people.  The  surplus  beyond  what  was  needed  to  support 
the  establishment,  was  faithfully  distributed  among  the  poor.  Their 
religious  ceremonies  were  of  two  kinds,  one  evidently  Tezcucan 
in  its  origin,  the  other  the  bloody  offspring  of  Aztec  superstition. 
The  first  consisted  of  light  and  cheerful  ceremonies,  in  which  both 
sexes  joined  in  songs,  and  dancing,  and  processions  of  women  and 
children  crowned  with  garlands,  bore  offerings  of  fruits  and  fragrant 
gums.  At  these  festivals,  the  only  sacrifices  known  were  of  animals. 

The  other  classes  of  religious  ceremonies  referred  to  were  human 
sacrifices,  which  were  commenced  by  the  Aztecs  about  two  hun 
dred  years  before  the  conquest,  and  rapidly  increased  in  frequency 
and  number,  until  at  the  time  of  Cortes,  thousands  of  victims  were 
slain  annually. 

"The  Mexican  temples,"  says  Prescott,  "  Teocallis,  houses  of 
God,  as  they  were  called,  were  very  numerous.  There  were  several 
hundred  in  each  of  the  principal  cities,  some  of  them  doubtless  very 
humble  edifices.  They  were  solid  masses  of  earth  cased  with  brick, 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS.  41 

or  stone,  and  in  their  form  somewhat  resembled  the  pyramidal  struc 
tures  of  ancient  Egypt.  The  bases  of  many  of  them  were  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  square,  and  they  towered  to  a  still  greater  height. 
They  were  distributed  into  four  or  five  stories,  each  of  smaller  dimen 
sions  than  that  below.  The  ascent  was  by  a  flight  of  steps,  at  an 
angle  of  the  pyramid  on  the  outside.  This  led  to  a  sort  of  terrace, 
or  gallery,  at  the  base  of  the  second  story,  which  passed  quite  round 
the  building  to  another  flight  of  stairs,  commencing  also  at  the  same 
angle  as  the  preceding  and  directly  over  it,  and  leading  to  a  similar 
terrace,  so  that  one  had  to  make  a  circuit  of  the  temple  several  times 
before  reaching  the  summit.  In  some  instances  the  stairway  led  di 
rectly  up  the  centre  of  the  western  face  of  the  building.  The  top 
was  a  broad  area  on  which  were  erected  one  or  two  towers,  forty  feet 
high,  the  sanctuaries,  in  which  stood  the  sacred  images  of  the  presiding 
deities.  Before  these  towers  stood  the  dreadful  stone  of  sacrifice? 
and  two  lofty  altars,  on  which  fires  were  kept  as  inextinguishable  as 
those  in  the  temple  of  Vesta.  There  were  said  to  be  six  hundred 
of  these  altars  on  smaller  buildings  within  the  inclosure  of  the  great 
temple  of  Mexico,  which  with  those  on  the  sacred  edifices  in  other 
parts  of  the  city,  shed  a  brilliant  illumination  over  its  streets,  through 
the  darkest  night.  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  ONE  of  their  most  important  festivals  was 
that  in  honour  of  the  god  Tezcatlipoca,  whose 
rank  was  inferior  only  to  that  of  the  Supreme 
Being.  He  was  called  the  soul  of  the  world, 
and  supposed  to  have  been  its  creator.  He  was 
depicted  as  a  handsome  man,  endowed  with 
perpetual  youth.  A  year  before  the  intended 
sacrifice,  a  captive  distinguished  for  his  personal 
beauty,  and  without  a  blemish  on  his  body,  was 
selected  to  represent  this  deity.  Certain  tutors 
took  charge  of  him,  and  instructed  him  how  to 
Ancient  Mexican,  from  perform  his  new  part  with  becoming  grace  and 
Stephens.  dignity.  He  was  arrayed  in  a  splendid  dress, 

regaled  with  incense,  and  with  a  profusion  of  sweet  scented  flowers, 
of  which  the  ancient  Mexicans  were  as  fond  as  their  descendants  at 
the  present  day.  When  he  went  abroad,  he  was  attended  by  a  train 
of  the  royal  pages,  and,  as  he  halted  in  the  streets  to  play  some  fa 
vourite  melody,  the  crowd  prostrated  themselves  before  him,  and  did 
him  homage,  as  the  representative  of  their  good  deity.  In  this  way 
he  led  an  easy  luxurious  life,  till  within  a  month  of  his  sacrifice. 
Four  beautiful  girls,  bearing  the  names  of  the  principal  goddesses, 
were  then  selected  to  share  the  honours  of  his  bed,  and  with  them  he 
D2  6 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS. 


The  ordinary  human  Sacrifice, 
i 

continued  to  live  in  idle  dalliance,  feasted  at  the  banquets  of  the 
principal  nobles,  who  paid  him  all  the  honours  of  a  divinity. 

"At  length  the  fatal  day  of  sacrifice  arrived.  The  term  of  his 
short-lived  glories  was  at  an  end.  He  was  stripped  of  his  gaudy 
apparel,  and  bade  adieu  to  the  fair  partners  of  his  revelries.  One  of 
the  royal  barges  transported  him  across  the  lake  to  a  temple  which 
rose  on  its  margin,  about  a  league  from  the  city.  Hither  the  inha 
bitants  of  the  capital  flocked,  to  witness  the  consummation  of  the 
ceremonies.  As  the  sad  procession  wound  up  the  sides  of  the  pyra 
mid,  the  unhappy  victim  threw  away  his  gay  chaplet  of  flowers,  and 
broke  in  pieces  the  musical  instruments  with  which  he  had  solaced  the 
hours  of  captivity.  On  the  summit  he  was  received  by  six  priests, 
whose  long  and  matted  locks  flowed  disorderly  over  their  sable 
robes,  covered  with  hieroglyphical  scrolls  of  mystic  import.  They 
led  him  to  the  sacrificial  stone,  a  huge  block  of  jasper,  with  its  upper 
surface  somewhat  convex.  On  this  the  prisoner  was  stretched.  Five 
priests  secured  his  head  and  his  limbs ;  while  the  sixth  clad  in  a 
scarlet  mantle,  emblematic  of  his  bloody  office,  dexterously  opened 
the  breast  of  the  wretched  victim  with  a  sharp  razor  of  itztli, — a 
volcanic  substance,  hard  as  flint, — and  inserting  his  hand  in  the 
wound,  tore  out  the  palpitating  heart.  The  minister  of  death,  first 
holding  this  up  towards  the  sun,  an  object  of  worship  throughout 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS. 


Gladiatorial  Sacrifice. 

Anahuac,  cast  it  at  the  feet  of  the  deity  to  whom  the  temple  was 
devoted,  while  the  multitudes  below  prostrated  themselves  in  humble 
adoration.  The  tragic  story  of  this  prisoner  was  expounded  by  the 
priests  as  the  type  of  human  destiny,  which  brilliant  in  its  com 
mencement,  too  often  closes  in  sorrow  and  disaster."* 

This  was  the  ordinary  mode  of  human  sacrifice.  Another,  which 
las  been  termed  the  gladiatorial  sacrifice,  was  conducted  in  this  man 
ner.  The  victim,  being  chained  by  one  foot,  was  compelled  to 
fight  a  succession  of  champions.  If  he  vanquished  them  all,  he 
escaped.  If  he  failed,  his  life,  of  course,  paid  the  forfeit. 

The  Aztecs  were  acquainted  with  all  kinds  of  hieroglyphic al 
writing,  but  they  confined  themselves  principally  to  the  lowest  stage 
of  figurative  or  picture  writing.  Had  their  empire  continued  long 
in  existence,  they  would  probably  have  followed  the  course  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  used  the  system  known  by  the  term  phonetic,  in  which 
signs  are  made  to  represent  sounds.  The  conquest  of  their  empire 
made  them  acquainted  with  the  alphabetical  system  of  the  Spaniards. 
However  clumsy  their  system  was,  it  sufficed  for  recording  their 

*  Conquest  of  Mexico,  vol.  i.  pp.  72-77. 


44 


MANNERS   AND    CUSTOMS. 


Ancient  Mexican  Manuscript 

laws,  domestic  regulations,  public  decrees,  mythology,  calendars , 
rituals,  and  historical  annals.  Their  system  of  chronology  was  so 
good  that  they  could  specify  with  accuracy  the  dates  of  the  most 
important  events  in  their  history.  In  order  to  estimate  aright  the 
literature  of  the  people,  the  picture  writing  should  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  traditions  of  the  priests  who  taught  it,  and  to 
which  it  was  only  auxiliary.  These  manuscripts  were  made  of  the 
leaves  of  the  aloe  chiefly,  but  cotton  cloth,  prepared  skins,  and  a 
composition  of  silk  and  gum  were  made  to  answer  the  purpose. 
They  were  sometimes  made  into  rolls,  but  most  frequently  folded  up, 
like  a  folding  screen,  into  volumes,  the  pages  of  which  might  be  re 
ferred  to  and  read  separately.  Unfortunately  the  Spaniards  looked 
upon  these  manuscripts  as  magic  scrolls,  and  destroyed  them  as  the 
symbols  of  superstition.  Don  Juan  de  Zumarraga,  the  first  arch 
bishop  of  Mexico,  collected  from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  and  espe 
cially  from  the  national  archives  in  Tezcuco,  a  "  mountain  heap" 
of  these  works,  and  reduced  them  all  to  ashes.  The  Spanish  sol 
diers  vied  with  each  other  in  imitating  this  example,  and  the  sur 
viving  memorials  of  Mexican  civilization  are  extremely  rare,  and 
scattered  over  the  world,  excepting  in  Spain,  where  there  are  none. 


MANNERS   AND    CUSTOMS.  45 

Their  system  of  arithmetical  notation  was  very  simple,  yet,  perhaps, 
better  adapted  to  the  purpose  than  any  other  arrangement  in  use 
before  the  introduction  of  the  Arabic  cyphers.  "  The  whole  eastern 
world,  "to  use  the  words  of  Niebuhr,  u  has  followed  the  moon  in  its 
calendar,  the  free  scientific  divisions  of  a  large  portion  of  time  is 
peculiar  to  the  west."  Such  a  division  was  that  employed  in  the 
Mexican  calendar,  which  so  exactly  adjusted  civil  to  solar  time,  that 
five  centuries  would  elapse,  according  to  Mr.  Prescott's  showing, 
before  there  would  be  the  loss  of  a  single  day.  "  Such,"  he  adds, 
"  was  the  astonishing  precision  displayed  by  the  Aztecs,  or  perhaps 
by  their  more  polished  Toltec  predecessors,  in  these  computations 
so  difficult  as  to  have  baffled,  till  a  comparatively  recent  period,  the 
most  enlightened  nations  of  Christendom."*  Besides  the  solar 
calendar,  the  priests  constructed  another  for  themselves,  not  less  in 
genious,  which  they  used  in  the  arrangement  of  their  festivals,  and  in 
their  astrological  and  astronomical  pursuits.  Of  their  proficiency  in 
these  studies  we  know  little  more  than  that  they  knew  the  causes  of 
eclipses,  and  were  able  to  settle  the  hours  of  the  day,  the  periods  of 
the  solstices,  and  of  the  equinoxes,  and  that  of  the  transit  of  the  sun 
across  the  zenith  of  Mexico,  with  precision.! 

THE  Mexicans  paid  much  attention  to  agri 
culture  and  botany,  and  their  collections  pro 
bably  suggested  the  formation  of  the  gardens 
of  plants  which  began  to  appear  in  Europe 
soon  after  the  time  of  the  conquest.  The  mine 
ral  kingdom  also  excited  their  attention,  and 
they  worked  mines  with  a  considerable  degree 
of  skill.  Iron,  however,  was  unknown  to  them, 
and  their  tools  were  made  of  an  alloy  of  tin 
Mexican  Indian,  from  and  copper,  and  of  a  mineral  substance  called 

f*        4.1"  ^  •""  * 

itztli.  With  implements  of  this  latter  material 
they  wrought  the  stones  employed  in  constructing  their  public 
works  and  dwellings,  and  the  sculptures  so  frequently  dug  up  in 
Mexico.  The  most  remarkable  of  these  is  the  great  calenda 
stone  dug  up  in  1790,  and  now  walled  against  the  base  of  one 
of  the  towers  of  the  cathedral,  where  it  passes  by  the  name  of 
Montezuma's  watch.  It  is  eleven  feet  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and 
the  figures  are  raised  seven  and  a  half  inches  above  the  broken 
square  of  rock  out  of  which  the  whole  was  originally  carved. 
It  is  computed  to  have  weighed  nearly  fifty  tons.  They  had  carried 

*  Prescott,  vol.  i.  p.  113. 

t  Humboldt;   Gallatin,  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Philosophical  Transaction  of  Ame 
rican  Ethnological  Society. 


MANNERS   AND    CUSTOMS. 


Great  Calendar  Stone. 

to  great  perfection  the  art  of  working  in.  gold  and  silver,  and  were 
well  skilled  in  other  mechanical  arts.  Every  fifth  day  fairs  were 
held  in  the  market-places  of  the  principal  cities,  where  the  people 
from  the  neighbourhood  met  to  sell  and  buy.  They  traded  partly  by 
barter  and  partly  by  means  of  a  rude  but  regulated  currency.  Trade 
was  greatly  respected  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  but  the  mechanical 
arts  were  held  in  esteem,  and,  as  there  were  no  castes,  the  nobles 
were  expected  to  have  a  useful  calling  as  well  as  the  lowly  born. 
The  merchants  who  went  trading  into  other  countries,  went  with 
large  bodies  of  servants  well  armed,  and  they  acted  as  spies  for  the 
government,  and  any  indignity  offered  them  would  easily  furnish  a 
pretext  to  the  Aztec  rulers  for  a  war,  when  the  stock  of  victims  for 
sacrifice  was  low.  In  their  domestic  life,  women  mingled  unre 
servedly  among  the  men  in  social  festivities  and  entertainments,  and 
were  always  tenderly  treated.  They  were  somewhat  fastidious  in 
their  cooking,  and  when  the  body  of  a  sacrificed  victim  was  given 
to  the  warrior  who  had  captured  him,  to  be  eaten,  the  repast  was 
served  up  with  many  beverages  and  viands  of  delicacy,  and  the 
feast  was  conducted  with  all  the  decorum  of  civilized  life. 

Such  was  the  strangely  compounded  character  of  the  people  vshose 


MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS. 


47 


arms  were  to  be  vainly  dashed  against  the  mail-clad  adventurers 
unoler  Cortes,  who  now  came  to  overturn  their  whole  social  system, 
and  replace  it  with  another,  which,  though  it  was  almost  equally 
crushing  from  the  weight  of  its  own  superstition  on  one  hand,  still 
held  to  the  Bible  on  the  other,  the  sublime  truths  of  which,  the  reign 
of  fanaticism  ended,  could  not  fail  to  expel  the  many  forms  of  evil 
which  had  infested  the  fair  plain  of  Anahuac. 


Anterior  of  a  modern  Mexican  house. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ANCIENT    MONUMENTS    OF   MEXICO. 


EFORE  proceeding  to  our  account  of  the 
conquest  of  Mexico,  by  Cortes,  we  will  no 
tice  some  of  the  remarkable  remains  of  an 
tiquity  with  which  this  country  abounds.  Our 
limits  are  narrow,  and  our  notice  of  these 
remains  must  necessarily  be  slight  and  gene 
ral  ;  but  the  ancient  ruins  present  altogether 
too  remarkable  a  feature  in  the  aspect  of  the 
country  to  be  passed  over  in  any  account  of 
it,  however  summary. 

We  have  already  observed  that  Mexico  is  a  country  of  which 
comparative  little  is  known.  The  jealous  policy  of  the  Spaniards 
"endered  its  geography  and  history  almost  a  sealed  book,  during 
their  domination ;  and  perpetual  disturbances,  since  the  revolution, 
have  rendered  explorations,  by  foreign  travellers,  almost  impracti 
cable.  Until  Baron  Humboldt  visited  the  country  very  little  was 

(48) 


ANCIENT   MONUMENTS.  49 

known  of  the  antiquities  which  are  so  numerous  in  Mexico  proper, 
while  the  wonderful  treasures  of  art,  which  lie  mouldering  in  Central 
America  and  Yucatan,  were  not  fully  revealed  to  us  until  our  own 
countrymen,  Stephens  and  Norman,  explored,  delineated,  and  de 
scribed  them. 

These  remains,  as  well  as  many  of  those  in  Mexico  proper,  are  ge 
nerally  referred  to  a  people  more  ancient  than  any  of  those  which  are 
known  even  to  the  earliest  historians  of  Anahuac.  They  cannot  be 
the  work  of  the  Aztecs,  who  founded  the  city  of  Mexico,  in  1325, 
nor  is  there  much  better  ground  for  referring  their  origin  to  the  earlier 
visiters  from  the  north,  the  Acolhuans,  Chichemecs,  Toltecs,  or  their 
predecessors,  the  Ulmecs.  They  are  apparently  the  work  of  a  peo 
ple  whose  existence  is  not  recorded  in  any  history,  the  cotemporaries, 
'perhaps,  of  those  giant  architects,  the  shepherd  kings  of  Egypt,  the 
founders  of  those  massy  monuments  which  astonish  the  traveller  in 
Memphis  and  Thebes. 

Of  the  origin  of  the  pyramid  of  Cholula,  which  we  have  already 
noticed,  the  Aztec  chroniclers  give  a  circumstantial  account;  but 
their  date  of  its  origin  is  at  that  remote  period  when  the  Mexicans,  like 
the  Greeks,  Egyptians,  and  all  other  ancient  nations,  had  their  gods 
dwelling  among  them,  the  mythological  age,  fruitful  in  marvels  of 
every  kind.  The  great  temple  of  Mexico,  already  noticed,  was  com 
paratively  modern.  Its  existence  began  with  the  priests  of  the  bloody 
religion  of  the  Aztecs,  and  ended  with  their  empire. 

For  an  account  of  some  of  the  more  remarkable  ruins  in  Mexico 
proper,  which  we  subjoin,  we  are  indebted  to  the  lively  and  enter 
taining  work  of  Brantz  Mayer,  Esq.,  of  Baltimore,  entitled,  "  Mexi 
co,  As  it  Was  and  As  it  Is."  The  following  is  extracted  from  his 
description  of  the  ruins  of  the  pyramid  of  Xochicalco. 

"  AT  the  distance  of  six  leagues  from  the  city 
of  Cuernavaca  lies  a  cerro,  three  hundred  feet 
in  height,  which,  with  the  ruins  that  crown  it, 
is  known  by  the  name  of  Xochicalco,  or  the 
"Hill  of  Flowers."  The  base  of  this  eminence 
is  surrounded  by  the  very  distinct  remains  of  a 
deep  and  wide  ditch ;  its  summit  is  attained  by 
five  spiral  terraces ;  the  walls  that  support  them 
are  built  of  stone,  joined  by  cement,  and  are 
Ancient  Mexican,  from  still  quite  perfect ;  and  at  regular  distances,  as 
the  Monuments.  .f  fo  buttress  these  terraces,  there  are  remains 

of  bulwarks  shaped  like  the  bastions  of  a  fortification.     The  summit 
of  the  hill  is  a  wide  esplanade,  on  the  eastern  side  of  which  are  still 
perceptible    three  truncated   cones,  resembling    the   tumuli  <:«nd 
E  7 


50 


ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 


Ruins  of  Xochicalco. 

among  many  similar  ruins  in  Mexico.  On.  the  other  sides  there  are 
also  large  heaps  of  loose  stones  of  irregular  shape,  which  seem  to  have 
formed  portions  of  similar  mounds  or  tumuli,  or,  perhaps,  parts  of 
fortifications  in  connection  with  the  wall  that  is  alleged  by  the  old 
writers  to  have  surrounded  the  base  of  the  pyramid,  but  of  which  I 
could  discern  no  traces. 

"  The  stones  forming  parts  of  the  conical  remains,  have  evidently 
been  shaped  by  the  hand  of  art,  and  are  often  found  covered  with 
an  exterior  coat  of  mortar,  specimens  of  which  I  took  away  with 
me,  as  sharp  and  perfect  as  the  day  it  was  laid  on  centuries  ago. 

"  Near  the  base  of  the  last  terrace,  on  which  the  pyramid  rises, 
the  esplanade  is  covered  with  trees  and  tangled  vines,  but  the  body 
of  the  platform  is  cultivated  as  a  corn-field.  We  found  the  Indian 
owner  at  work  in  it,  and  were  supplied  by  him  with  the  long-desired 
comfort  of  a  gourd  of  water.  He  pointed  out  to  us  the  way  to  the 
summit  of  the  terrace  through  the  thick  brambles ;  and  rearing  our 
horses  up  the  crumbling  stones  of  the  wall,  we  stood  before  the  ruins 
of  this  interesting  pyramid,  the  remains  of  which,  left  by  the  neigh 
bouring  planters  after  they  had  borne  away  enough  to  build  the  walls 
of  their  haciendas,  now  lie  buried  in  a  grove  of  palmettoes,  bananas, 
and  forest-trees,  apparently  the  growth  of  many  hundred  years 

"  Indeed,  this  pyramid  seems  to  have  been  (like  the  Forum  and 
Colliseum  at  Rome,)  the  quarry  for  all  the  builders  in  the  vicinity  • 


ANCIENT   MONUMENTS.  53 

and  Alzate,  who  visited  it  as  far  back  as  1777,  relates,  that  not  more 
than  twenty  years  before,  the  Jive  terraces  of  which  it  consisted,  were 
still  perfect ;  and  that  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  upper  platform  there 
had  been  a  magnificent  throne  carved  from  porphyry,  and  covered 
with  hieroglyphics  of  the  most  graceful  sculpture.  Soon  after  this 
period,  however,  the  work  of  destruction  was  begun  by  a  certain 
Estrada,  and  it  is  not  more  than  a  couple  of  years  since  one  of  the 
wealthiest  planters  of  the  neighbourhood  ended  the  line  of  spoilers 
by  carrying  off  enormous  loads  of  the  squared  and  sculptured  mate 
rials,  to  build  a  tank  in  a  barranca  to  bathe  his  cattle  !  All  that  now 
remains  of  the  five  stories,  terraces,  or  bodies  of  the  pyramid,  are 
portions  of  the  first,  the  whole  of  which  is  of  dressed  porphyritic 
rock,  covered  with  singular  figures  and  hieroglyphics  executed  in  a 
skilful  manner.  The  engraving  on  page  50  presents  a  general  view 
of  the  ruins  as  seen  from  the  westward. 

"The  basement  is  a  rectangular  building,  and  its  dimensions  on 
the  northern  front,  measured  above  the  plinth,  are  sixty-four  feet  in 
length,  by  fifty-eight  in  depth  on  the  western  front.  The  height  be 
tween  the  plinth  and  frieze  is  nearly  ten  feet ;  the  breadth  of  the 
frieze  is  three  feet  and  a  half,  and  of  the  cornice  one  foot  and  five 
inches.  I  placed  my  compass  on  the  wall,  and  found  the  lines  of 
the  edifice  to  correspond  exactly  with  the  cardinal  points." 

Of  the  ruins  of  the  pyramid  of  Teotihuacan,  Mr.  Mayer  gives  the 
following  account : 

"  On  leaving  the  town  our  road  lay  in  a  north-easterly  direction, 
through  a  number  of  picturesque  villages  buried  in  foliage,  and  fenced 
with  the  organ  cactus,  lifting  its  tall  pillar-like  stems  to  a  height  of 
twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  The  country  was  rolling,  and  we 
passed  over  several  elevations  and  a  stream  or  two  before  we  turned 
suddenly  to  the  right,  and  saw  the  village  of  St.  Juan  with  an  exten 
sive  level  beyond  it,  bordered  on  all  sides  by  mountains,  except 
toward  the  east,  where  a  deep  depression  in  the  chain  leads  into  the 
plains  of  Otumba.  In  the  centre  of  this  level  are  the  pyramids  of 
Teotihuacan,  and  the  opposite  engraving  will  give  you  an  accurate 
idea  of  their  position  and  present  appearance  from  this  point. 

"After  we  passed  through  the  Village,  the  high  road  was  soon  lost 
among  paths  leading  between  the  walled  fields  of  Indian  farmers. 
At  short  distances,  as  we  advanced  in  the  direction  of  the  pyramids, 
I  observed  evident  traces  of  a  well-made  ancient  road,  covered  with 
several  inches  of  a  close  and  hard  cement,  which,  in  turn,  was  often 
overlaid  with  a  foot  or  two  of  soil.  We  crossed  the  plain,  and,  in 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Tonatiuh  Ylzagual,  or, 
"  House  of  the  Sun,"  the  base  line  of  which  is  six  hundred  and 

E2 


54  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

eighty-two  feet,   and  the  perpendicular  height,  two  hundred  and 
twenty- one.* 

"  There  is  no  other  description  of  these  monuments  to  be  given 
than  by  saying  that  they  are  pyramids,  three  stories  or  stages  of  which 
are  yet  distincty  visible.  The  whole  of  their  exteriors  is  covered  with 
a  thick  growth  of  nopals  or  prickly  pears ;  and,  in  many  places,  I 
discovered  the  remains  of  the  coating  of  cement  with  which  they 
were  encrusted  in  the  days  of  their  perfection.  A  short  distance 
north- westwardly  from  the  '  House  of  the  Sun,'  is  the  Metzli  Ytza- 
gualj  or^ ( House  of  the  Moon,'  with  a  height  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  feet.  On  the  level  summits  of  both  of  these,  there  wrere 
erected,  no  doubt,  the  shrines  of  the  gods  and  the  places  of  sacrifice. 

"  I  ascended,  clambering  among  the  bushes  and  loose  stones  with 
uncertain  footing,  to  the  top  of  the  'House  of  the  Sun.'  The  view 
from  it  was  exceedingly  picturesque  over  the  cultivated  fields  to  thje 
east  and  south.  Immediately  to  the  south  were  a  number  of  mound- 
like  clusters,  running  toward  a  number  of  elevations  arranged  in  a 
square,  beyond  the  streamlet  of  Teotihuacan,  and  bordering  the  road 
that  leads  to  Otumba.  On  the  western  front  there  were  also  five  or 
six  tumuli  extending  toward  a  long  line  of  similar  mounds,  running 
fiom  the  southern  side  of  the  'House  of  the  Moon.'  These  lines 
were  quite  distinct,  and  the  whole  plain  was  more  or  less  covered 
with  heaps  of  stones.  It  is  extremely  probable,  that  at  one  time  they 
all  formed  the  sepulchres  of  the  distinguished  men  of  the  empire, 
and  constituted  the  Micoatl,  or  '  Path  of  the  Dead' — a  name  which 
they  bore  in  the  ancient  language  of  the  country.  It  was  the  West 
minster  Abbey  of  the  Toltecs  and  Aztecs." 

Mr.  Mayer's  account  of  the  aqueduct  of  Tezcosingo,  is  very  inter 
esting  He  says: 

"  Directly  at  the  foot  of  the  eminence  on  which  we  rested,  there 
was  an  extensive  Indian  remain.  By  an  able  system  of  engineering, 
the  water  had  been  brought  by  the  ancients  from  the  eastern  sierra, 
for  a  distance,  probably,  of  three  leagues,  by  conduits  across  barran 
cas  and  along  the  sides  of  the  hill ;  and  the  ruin  below  us  was  that 
of  one  o£  these  aqueducts,  across  a  ravine  about  a  hundred  feet  in 
elevation. 

"You  will  find  a  view  of  this  work  in  the  opposite  picture.  The 
base  of  the  two  conduit  pipes  is  raised  to  the  required  level  on  stones 
and  masonry,  and  the  canals  for  the  water  are  made  of  an  exceed 
ingly  hard  cement,  of  mortar  and  fragments  of  pounded  brick.  Al 
though,  of  course,  long  since  abandoned,  it  is,  in  many  places,  as 

*  Glennie. 


AQUEDUCT    OF    TEZCOSINGO.  57 

perfect  as  on  the  day  of  its  completion ;  and  perhaps  as  good  a  work, 
for  all  the  necessary  purposes,  as  could  be  formed  at  the  present  day 
by  the  most  expert  engineers. 

"  The  view  over  the  valley,  to  the  north,  towards  the  pyramids  of 
Teotihuacan,  and  across  the  lake  to  Mexico,  was  uninterrupted  ;  and 
the  city  (beyond  the  waters,  surrounded  by  a  mirage  on  the  distant 
plain)  seemed  placed  again,  as  it  was  three  hundred  years  ago,  in 
the  midst  of  a  beautiful  lake. 

"  After  we  had  finished  our  meal,  we  gave  a  small  compensation  to 
the  Indian,  and  resumed  our  route  toward  Tezcosingo.  The  road,  for 
a  long  distance,  lay  over  an  extensive  table-land,  with  a  deep  valley 
north  and  south,  filled  on  both  sides  with  haciendas,  villages,  and 
plantations.  We  crossed  the  shoulder  of  a  mountain,  and  descended 
half  way  a  second  ravine,  near  the  eighth  of  a  mile  in  extent,  until 
we  struck  the  level  of  another  ancient  aqueduct,  that  led  the  waters 
directly  to  the  hill  of  Tezcosingo.  This  elevation  was  broader,  firmer, 
and  even  in  better  preservation,  than  the  first.  It  may  be  crossed  on 
horseback — three  abreast. 

"  As  soon  as  we  struck  the  celebrated  hill,  we  began  ascending 
rapidly,  by  an  almost  imperceptible  cattle-path,  among  gigantic  cacti, 
whose  thorns  tore  our  skins  as  we  brushed  by  them.  Over  the  whole 
surface,  there  were  remains  of •«.  spiral  road  cut  from  the  living  rock, 
strewn  with  fragments  of  pottery,  Indian  arrows,  and  broken  sacri 
ficial  knives ;  while,  occasionally,  we  passed  over  the  ruins  of  an 
aqueduct  winding  round  the  hill.  The  eminence  seems  to  have  been 
converted,  from  its  base  to  its  summit,  (a  distance  of  perhaps  five 
hundred  feet,)  into  a  pile  of  those  terraced  gardens,  so  much  admired 
by  every  tourist  who  falls  into  raptures  among  the  romantic  groves  of 
Isola  Bella. 

UR  horses  seemed  to  be  better  ac 
customed  to  the  dangerous  clamber 
ing  among  these  steeps,  than  our 
selves,  and  we  therefore  continued 
in  our  saddles  until  we  reached  a  point  about 
\  fifty  feet  below  the  summit,  where,  in  a  due 
northerly  direction,  the  rock  had  been  cut  into 
seats  along  a  recess  leading  to  a  perpendicular 
wall,  which  is  said  to  have  been  covered,  until 
recently,  with  a  Toltec  calendar.  When  the 
Indians  found  that  a  place  otherwise  so  unattractive,  was  visited  by 
foreigners,  they  immediately  imagined  their  ancestors  had  concealed 
treasures  behind  the  stone;  as  they  supposed  that  gold,  and  not 
snere  curiosity,  could  have  lured  strangers  from  a  distance  to  so  un- 

8 


58  ANCIENT     MONUMENTS. 

sightly  a  spot.  They  consequently  destroyed  the  carved  rock  in  ordei 
to  penetrate  the  hill,  and  there  is  now  not  a  fragment  of  the  ancient 
sculpture  remaining.  In  the  hole  burrowed  by  the  treasure-finders, 
we  discovered  a  number  of  Indians,  of  both  sexes,  sheltering  them 
selves  from  the  rain  ;  and  as  they  had  a  supply  of  nopals ,  (with  which 
the  surrounding  rocks  are  covered,)  we  were  not  loth  to  dismount, 
and,  forgetting  our  indignation  for  the  moment,  crawled  into  their 
cavern  to  enjoy  the  luscious  fruit. 

"  A  few  steps  upward  led  us  to  the  summit  of  Tezcosingo.  I  found 
there  no  remains  of  a  temple  or  edifice  ;  but  as  the  hill  is  supposed  to 
have  been  formerly  dedicated  to  the  bloody  rites  of  Indian  worship, 
modern  piety  has  thought  proper  to  purify  the  spot  by  the  erection  of  a 
cross.  And  never  was  one  built  on  a  more  majestic  and  commanding 
site.  From  its  foot  the  entire  valley,  lake,  Tezcuco,  Mexico,  and  lakes 
far  to  the  north,  were  distinctly  visible,  and  the  beauty  of  the  panorama 
was  greatly  increased  by  the  sudden  clearing  of  the  skies,  and  an 
outburst  of  the  setting  sun." 

The  ruins  of  Quemada,  lying  north  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  in  the 
department  of  Zacatecas,  are  very  extensive,  and  must  be  referred  to 
a  very  remote  period  of  antiquity.  The  view  of  a  portion  of  them, 
which  we  give,  embraces  the  court-yard  of  a  temple,  as  drawn  by 
M.  Nebel.  Captain  Lyon,  quoted  by'Mr.  Mayer,  describes  them  in 
the  following  terms : 

"  We  set  out,"  says  he,  "  on  our  expedition  to  the  Cerro  de  los 
Edificios,  under  the  guidance  of  an  old  ranchero,  and  soon  arrived 
at  the  foot  of  the  abrupt  and  steep  rock  on  which  the  buildings  are 
situated.  Here  we  perceived  two  ruined  heaps  of  stones,  flanking 
the  entrance  to  a  causeway  ninety-three  feet  broad,  commencing  at 
four  hundred  feet  from  the  cliff. 

"  A  space  of  about  six  acres  has  been  inclosed  by  a  broad  wall, 
of  which  the  foundations  are  still  visible,  running  first  to  the  south 
and  afterward  to  the  east.  Off  its  south-western  angle  stands  a  high 
mass  of  stones,  which  flanks  the  causeway.  In  outward  appearance 
it  is  of  a  pyramidal  form,  owing  to  the  quantities  of  stones  piled 
against  it  either  by  design  or  by  its  o.wn  ruin ;  but  on  closer  exami 
nation  its  figure  could  be  traced  by  the  remains  of  solid  walls,  to 
have  been  a  square  of  thirty-one  feet  by  the  same  height :  the  heap 
immediately  opposite  is  lower  and  more  scattered,  but  in  all  proba 
bility  formerly  resembled  it.  Hence  the  grand  causeway  runs  to  the 
north-east  until  it  reaches  the  ascent  of  the  cliff,  which,  as  I  have 
already  observed,  is  about  four  hundred  yards  distant.  Here  again 
are  found  two  masses  of  ruins,  in  which  may  be  traced  the  same 
construction  as  that  before  described ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that 


RUINS   OF    QUE  MAD  A.  61 

these  two  towers  guarded  the  inner  entrance  to  the  citadel.  In  the 
centre  of  the  causeway,  which  is  raised  about  a  foot,  and  has  its 
rough  pavement  uninjured,  is  a  large  heap  of  stones,  as  if  the  remains 
of  some  altar;  round  which  we  could  trace,  notwithstanding  the 
accumulation  of  earth  and  vegetation,  a  paved  border  of  flat  slabs 
arranged  in  the  figure  of  a  six-rayed  star. 

"  We  did  not  enter  the  city  by  the  principal  road,  but  led  our 
horses,  with  some  difficulty,  up  the  steep  mass  formed  by  the  ruins  of 
a  defensive  wall,  inclosing  a  quadrangle  two  hundred  and  forty  feet 
by  two  hundred,  which,  to  the  east,  is  still  sheltered  by  a  strong  wall 
of  unhewn  stones,  eight  feet  in  thickness  and  eighteen  in  height.  A 
raised  terrace,  of  twenty  feet  in  width,  passes  round  the  northern  and 
eastern  sides  of  this  space,  and  on  its  south-east  corner  is  yet  standing 
a  round  pillar  of  rough  stones,  of  the  same  height  as  the  wall,  and 
nineteen  feet  in  circumference. 

"  There  appear  to  have  been  five  other  pillars  on  the  east,  and  four 
on  the  northern  terrace  ;  and  as  the  view  of  the  plain  which  lies  to 
the  south  and  west  is  hence  very  extensive,  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  square  has  always  been  open  in  these  directions.  Adjoining 
to  this,  we  entered  by  the  eastern  side  to  another  quadrangle,  entirely 
surrounded  by  perfect  walls  of  the  same  height  and  thickness  as  the 
former  one,  and  measuring  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet  by  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven.  In  this  were  yet  standing  fourteen  very 
well-constructed  pillars,  of  equal  dimensions  with  that  in  the  adjoin 
ing  inclosure,  and  arranged,  four  in  length  and  three  in  breadth  of 
the  quadrangle,  from  which  on  every  side  they  separated  a  space  of 
twenty-three  feet  in  width :  probably  the  pavement  of  a  portico  of 
which  they  once  supported  the  roof.  In  their  construction,  as  well 
as  that  of  all  the  walls  which  we  saw,  a  common  clay  having  straw 
mixed  with  it  has  been  used,  and  is  yet  visible  in  those  places  which 
are  sheltered  from  the  rains.  Rich  grass  was  growing  in  the  spacious 
courts  where  Aztec  monarchs  may  once  have  feasted ;  and  our  cattle 
were  so  delighted  with  it  that  we  left  them  to  graze  while  we  walked 
about  three  hundred  yards  to  the  northward,  over  a  very  wide  para 
pet,  and  reached  a  perfect,  square,  flat-topped  pyramid  of  large 
unhewn  stones.  It  was  standing  unattached  to  any  other  buildings, 
at  the  foot  of  the  eastern  brow  of  the  mountain,  which  rises  abruptly 
behind  it.  On  the  eastern  face  is  a  platform  of  twenty-eight  feet  in 
width,  faced  by  a  parapet  wall  of  fifteen  feet,  and  from  the  base  of 
this  extends  a  second  platform  with  a  parapet  like  the  former,  and 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  wide.  These  form  the  outer  defensive 
boundary  of  the  mountain,  which  from  its  figure  has  materially 
favoured  their  construction.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
F 


62  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

this  eastern  face  must  have  been  of  great  importance.  A  slightly 
raised  and  paved  causeway  of  about  twenty-five  feet  descends  across 
the  valley,  in  the  direction  of  the  rising  sun;  and  being  continued, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  a  stream  which  flows  through  it,  can  be 
traced  up  the  mountains  at  two  miles'  distance,  until  it  terminates  at 
the  base  of  an  immense  stone  edifice,  which  probably  may  also  have 
been  a  pyramid.  Although  a  stream  (Rio  del  Partido)  runs  mean 
dering  through  the  plain  from  the  northward,  about  midway  between 
the  two  elevated  buildings,  I  can  scarcely  imagine  that  the  cause 
way  should  have  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  water  to 
the  city,  which  is  far  more  easy  of  access  in  many  other  directions 
much  nearer  to  the  river,  but  must  have  been  constructed  for  import 
ant  purposes  between  the  two  places  in  question ;  and  it  is  not  im 
probable,  that  it  once  formed  the  street  between  the  frail  iuts  of  the 
poorer  inhabitants.  The  base  of  the  large  pyramid  measured  fifty 
feet,  and  I  ascertained,  by  ascending  with  a  line,  that  its  height  was 
precisely  the  same.  Its  flat  top  was  covered  with  earth  and  a  little 
vegetation ;  and  our  guide  asserted,  although  he  knew  not  whence 
he  received  the  information,  that  it  was  once  surmounted  by  a  statue, 
Off  the  south-east  corner  of  this  building,  and  at  about  fifteen  yards 
distant,  is  to  be  seen  the  edge  of  a  circle  of  stones  about  eight  feet  in 
diameter,  inclosing,  as  far  as  we  could  judge  on  scraping  away  the 
soil,  a  bowl-shaped  pit,  in  which  the  action  of  fire  was  plainly  ob 
servable  ;  and  the  earth,  from  which  we  picked  some  pieces  of 
pottery,  was  evidently  darkened  by  an  admixture  of  soot  or  ashes. 
At  the  distance  of  one  hundred  yards  south-west  of  the  large  pyramid, 
is  a  small  one,  twelve  feet  square,  and  much  injured.  This  is  situ 
ated  on  somewhat  higher  ground,  in  the  steep  part  of  the  ascent  to 
the  mountain's  brow.  On  its  eastern  face,  which  is  toward  the  de 
clivity,  the  height  is  eighteen  feet;  and  apparently  there  have  been 
steps  by  which  to  descend  to  a  quadrangular  space,  having  a  broad 
terrace  round  it,  and  extending  east  one  hundred  feet  by  a  width  of 
fifty.  In  the  centre  of  this  inclosure  is  another  bowl-shaped  pit, 
somewhat  wider  than  the  first.  Hence  we  began  our  ascent  to  the 
upper  works,  over  a  well-buttressed  yet  ruined  wall,  built,  to  a  cer 
tain  extent,  so  as  to  derive  advantage  from  the  natural  abruptness  of 
the  rock.  Its  height  on  the  steepest  side  is  twenty-one  feet,  and  the 
width  on  the  summit,  which  is  level,  with  an  extensive  platform,  is 
the  same.  This  is  a  double  wall,  one  of  ten  feet  having  been  first 
constructed  and  then  covered  with  a  very  smooth  kind  of  cement, 
after  which  the  second  has  been  built  against  it.  The  platform 
(which  faces  to  the  south,  and  may  to  a  certain  extent  be  considered 
as  a  ledge  from  the  cliff,)  is  eighty-nine  feet  by  seventy-two  ;  and  on 


RU1NSOFQUEMADA.  63 

its  northern  centre  stand  the  ruins  of  a  square  building,  having  within 
it  ah  open  space  of  ten  feet  by  eight,  and  of  the  same  depth.  In 
the  middle  of  the  quadrangle  is  to  be  seen  a  mound  of  stones  eight 
feet  high.  A  little  farther  on,  we  entered  by  a  broad  opening  be 
tween  two  perfect  and  massive  walls,  to  a  square  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  This  space  was  surrounded  on  the  south,  east,  and  west, 
by  an  elevated  terrace  of  three  feet  by  twelve  in  breadth,  having  in 
the  centre  of  each  side  steps,  by  which  to  descend  to  the  square. 
Each  terrace  was  backed  by  a  wall  of  twenty  feet  by  eight  or  nine. 
From  the  south  are  two  broad  entrances,  and  on  the  east  is  one  of 
thirty  feet,  communicating  with  a  perfect  inclosed  square  of  two  hun 
dred  feet,  while  on  the  west  is  one  small  opening,  leading  to  an 
artificial  cave  or  dungeon,  of  which  I  shall  presently  speak. 

"  To  the  north,  the  square  is  bounded  by  the  steep  mountain,  and 
in  the  centre  of  that  side  stands  a  pyramid  with  several  ledges,  or 
stages,  which  in  many  places  are  quite  perfect.  It  is  flat-topped,  has 
four  sides,  and  measures  at  the  base  thirty-eight  by  thirty-five  feet, 
while  in  height  it  is  nineteen.  Immediately  behind  this,  and  on  all 
that  portion  of  the  hill  which  presents  itself  to  the  square,  are  nume 
rous  tiers  of  seats,  either  broken  in  the  rock  or  built  of  rough  stones. 
In  the  centre  of  the  square,  and  due  south  of  the  pyramid,  is  a  small 
quadrangular  building,  seven  feet  by  five  in  height.  The  summit  is 
imperfect,  but  it  has  unquestionably  been  an  altar;  and  from  the 
whole  character  of  the  space  in  which  it  stands,  the  peculiar  form  of 
the  pyramid,  the  surrounding  terrace,  and  the  seats  or  steps  on  the 
mountain,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  has  been  the  grand  Hall 
of  Sacrifice  or  Assembly,  or  perhaps  both. 

ASSING  to  the  westward,  we  next  saw  some 
narrow  inclosed  places,  apparently  portions 
of  an  aqueduct  leading  from  some  tanks  on 
the  summit  of  the  mountain ;  and  then  were 
shown  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  or  subterraneous 
passage,  of  which  so  many  superstitious  sto 
ries  are  yet  told  and  believed.  One  of  the 
principal  objects  of  our  expedition  had  been  to  enter  this  mysterious 
place,  which  none  of  the  natives  had  ever  ventured  to  do,  and  we 
came  provided  with  torches  for  the  purpose.  Unfortunately,  how 
ever,  the  mouth  had  very  recently  fallen  in,  and  we  could  merely  see 
that  it  was  a  narrow,  well-built  entrance,  bearing,  in  many  places,  the 
remains  of  good  smooth  plastering.  A  large  beam  of  cedar  once  sup 
ported  the  roof,  but  its  removal  by  the  country  people  had  caused  the 
dilapidation  which  we  now  observed.  Mr.  Tindal,  in  knocking  out 
some  pieces  of  regularly  burnt  brick,  soon  brought  a  ruin  upon  hii 


64  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

head,  but  escaped  without  injury;  and  his  accident  caused  a  thick 
cloud  of  yellow  dust  to  fall,  which  on  issuing  from  the  cave  assumed 
a  bright  appearance  under  the  full  glare  of  the  sun ; — an  effect  not 
lost  upon  the  natives,  who  became  more  than  ever  persuaded  that  an 
immense  treasure  lay  hidden  in  this  mysterious  place.  The  general 
opinion  of  those  who  remember  the  excavation  is,  that  it  was  very 
deep;  and,  from  many  circumstances,  there  is  a  probability  of  its 
having  been  a  place  of  confinement  for  victims.  Its  vicinity  to  the 
great  hall,  in  which  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  sanguinary  rites 
of  the  Mexicans  were  once  held,  is  one  argument  in  favour  of  this 
supposition;  but  there  is  another  equally  forcible — its  immediate 
proximity  to  a  cliff  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  down  which 
the  bodies  of  victims  may  have  been  precipitated,  as  was  the  custom 
at  the  inhuman  sacrifices  of  the  Aztecs.*  A  road  or  causeway,  to  be 
noticed  in  another  place,  terminates  at  the  foot  of  this  precipice,  ex 
actly  beneath  the  cave  and  overhanging  rock;  and  conjecture  can 
form  no  other  idea  of  its  intended  utility,  unless  as  being  in  some 
manner  connected  with  the  purposes  of  the  dungeon. 

"  Hence  we  ascend  to  a  variety  of  buildings,  all  constructed  with 
the  same  regard  to  strength,  and  inclosing  spaces  on  far  too  large  r 
scale  for  the  abode  of  common  people.  On  the  extreme  ridge  of  the 
mountain  were  several  tolerably  perfect  tanks. 

"  In  a  subsequent  visit  to  this  extraordinary  place,  I  saw  some 
other  buildings,  which  had  at  first  escaped  my  notice.  These  were 
situated  on  the  summit  of  a  rock  terminating  the  ridge,  at  about  half 
a  mile  to  the  N.  N.  W.  of  the  citadel. 

"  The  first  is  a  building  originally  eighteen  feet  square,  but  having 
the  addition  of  sloping  walls  to  give  it  a  pyramidal  form.  It  is  flat- 
topped,  and  on  the  centre  of  the  southern  face  there  have  been  steps 
by  which  to  ascend  to  the  summit.  The  second  is  a  square  altar,  its 
height  and  base  being  each  about  sixteen  feet.  These  buildings  are 
surrounded  at  no  great  distance  by  a  strong  wall ;  and  at  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  to  the  northward,  advantage  is  taken  of  a  precipice  to  con 
struct  another  wall  of  twelve  feet  in  width  upon  its  brink.  On  a  small 
flat  space  between  this  and  the  pyramid,  are  the  remains  of  an  open 
square  edifice,  to  the  southward  of  which  are  two  long  mounds  of 
stone,  each  extending  about  thirty  feet ;  and  to  the  north-east  is  another 
ruin,  having  large  steps  up  its  side.  I  should  conceive  the  highest 
wall  of  the  citadel  to  be  three  hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  and  the 
bare  rock  surmounts  it  by  about  thirty  feet  more. 

"  The  whole  place  in  fact,  from  its  isolated  situation,  the  disposi- 

*  The  writings  of  Clavigero,  Solis,  Bernal  Diaz,  and  others,  describe  this  mode  of  dis 
posing  of  the  bodies  of  those  whose  hearts  had  been  torn  out  and  offered  to  the  idol. 


RUINS    OP    QUEMADA.  65 

tion  of  its  defensive  walls,  and  the  favourable  figure  of  the  rock,  must 
have 'been  impregnable  to  Indians;  and  even  European  troops  would 
have  found  great  difficulty  in  ascending  to  those  works,  which  I  have 
ventured  to  name  the  Citadel.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  greater 
mass  of  the  nation  which  once  dwelt  here,  must  have  been  established 
upon  the  plain  beneath,  since  from  the  summit  of  the  rock  we  could 
distinctly  trace  three  straight  and  very  extensive  causeways,  diverg 
ing  from  that  over  which  we  first  passed.  The  most  remarkable  of 
these  runs  south-west  for  two  miles,  is  forty-six  feet  in  width,  and, 
crossing  the  grand  causeway,  is  continued  to  the  foot  of  the  clifF,  im 
mediately  beneath  the  cave  which  I  have  described.  Its  more  distant 
extreme  is  terminated  by  a  high  and  long  artificial  mound,  imme 
diately  beyond  the  river,  toward  the  hacienda  of  La  Quemada.  We 
could  trace  the  second  south  and  south-west,  to  a  small  rancho  named 
Coyote,  about  four  miles  distant ;  and  the  third  ran  south-west  by  south, 
still  farther,  ceasing,  as  the  country  people  informed  us,  at  a  moun 
tain  six  miles  distant.  All  these  roads  had  been  slightly  raised,  were 
paved  with  rough  stones,  still  visible  in  many  places  above  the  grass, 
and  perfectly  straight. 

"From  the  flatness  of  the  fine  plain  over  which  they  extended y 
I  cannot  conceive  them  to  have  been  constructed  as  paths,  since  the 
people,  who  walked  barefoot  and  used  no  animals  of  burden,  must 
naturally  have  preferred  the  smooth,  earthy  footways,  which  pre 
sented  themselves  on  every  side,  to  these  roughly  paved  ones.  If 
this  be  allowed,  it  is  not  difficult  to  suppose  that  they  were  the  cen 
tre  of  streets  or  huts,  which,  being  in  those  times  constructed  of  the 
same  kind  of  frail  materials  as  those  of  the  present  day,  must  long 
since  have  disappeared.  Many  places  on  the  plain  are  thickly 
strewed  with  stones,  which  may  once  have  formed  building  materials 
for  the  town ;  and  there  are  extensive  modern  walls  round  the  cattle 
farms,  which,  not  improbably,  were  constructed  from  the  nearest 
streets.  At  all  events,  whatever  end  these  causeways  may  have 
answered,  the  citadel  itself  still  remains,  and  from  its  size  and 
strength  confirms  the  accounts  given  by  Cortez,  Bernal  Diaz,  and 
others  of  the  conquerors,  of  the  magnitude  and  extent  of  the  Mexican 
edifices,  but  which  have  been  doubted  by  Robertson,  De  Pau,  and 
others.  We  observed  also,  in  some  sheltered  places,  the  remains  of 
good  plaster,  confirming  the  accounts  above  alluded  to ;  and  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  present  rough,  yet  magnificent  buildings, 
were  once  encased  in  wood  and  whitened,  as  ancient  Mexico,  the 
towns  of  Yucatan,.Tobasco,  and  many  other  places  are  described  to 
have  been. 

"  The  Cerro  de  los  Edificios,  and  the  mountains  of  the  surround- 
F2  9 


66  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

ing  range,  are  all  of  gray  porphyry,  easily  fractured  into  slabs,  and 
this,  with  comparatively  little  labour,  has  furnished  building-materials 
for  the  edifices  which  crown  its  summit.  We  saw  no  remnants  of 
obsidian  among  the  ruins  or  on  the  plain — which  is  remarkable,  as 
being  the  general  substance  of  which  the  knives  and  arrow-heads  of 
the  Mexicans  were  formed ;  but  a  few  pieces  of  a  very  compact 
porphyry  were  lying  about,  and  some  appeared  to  have  been  chipped 
to  a  rude  form  resembling  arrow-heads. 

"  Not  a  trace  of  the  ancient  name  of  this  interesting  place,  or  that 
of  the  nation  which  inhabited  it,  is  now  to  be  found  among  the  peo 
ple  in  the  neighbourhood,  who  merely  distinguished  the  isolated  rock 
and  buildings  by  one  common  name,  '  Los  Edificios.'  I  had  inquired 
of  the  best  instructed  people  about  these  ruins  ;  but  all  my  researches 
were  unavailing,  until  I  fortunately  met  with  a  note  in  the  Abbe  Cla- 
vigero's  'History  of  Mexico,'  which  throws  some  light  on  the  subject. 
*  The  situation  of  Chicomoztoc,  where  the  Mexicans  sojourned  nine 
years,  is  not  known ;  but  it  appears  to  be  that  place,  twenty  miles 
distant  from  Zacatecas,  toward  the  south,  where  there  are  still  some 
remains  of  an  immense  edifice,  which,  according  to  the  tradition  of 
the  Zacatecanos,  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  that  country,  was  the 
work  of  the  Aztecs  on  their  migration ;  and  it  certainly  cannot  be 
ascribed  to  any  other  people,  the  Zacatecanos  themselves  being  so  bar 
barous  as  neither  to  live  in  houses  nor  to  know  how  to  build  them.' ' 

"  Fifteen  leagues  west  from  Papantla,"  says  Mr.  Mayer,  "  lie  the 
remains  of  Tusapan,  supposed  to  have  been  a  city  of  the  Totonacos. 
They  are  situated  in  the  lap  of  a  small  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordil 
lera,  and  are  relics  of  a  town  of  but  limited  extent.  Of  all  these, 
however,  nothing  remains  in  great  distinctness  but  the  pyramidal 
monument,  or  Teocalli,  of  which  the  following  drawing  is  given  by 
Nebel. 

"  This  edifice  has  a  base  line  of  thirty  feet  on  every  side,  and  is  built 
of  irregular  stones.  A  single  stairway  leads  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
first  story,  on  which  is  erected  a  quadrangular  house  or  tower ;  while 
in  front  of  the  door  still  stands  the  pedestal  of  the  idol,  though  all 
traces  of  the  figure  itself  are  gone.  The  interior  of  this  apartment  is 
twelve  feet  square,  and  the  roof  terminates  in  a  point  like  the  exte 
rior.  The  walls  have  evidently  been  painted,  but  the  outlines  of  the 
figures  are  no  longer  distinguishable. 

"  The  door  and  the  two  friezes  are  formed  of  sculptured  stones ; 
but  it  is  evident  from  the  fragments  of  carving,  and  a  variety  of  figures 
of  men  and  animals  that  lie  in  heaps  about  the  rest  of  the  city,  that 
this  temple  was,  in  point  of  adornment,  by  no  means  the  most  splen 
did  edifice  of  Tusapan." 


RUINS    OF   PAPANTLA. 


67 


Temple  at  Tusapan. 

"  The  village  of  Papantla,"  says  Mr.  Mayer,  "  lies  sixteen  leagues 
from  the  sea,  and  fifty-two  north  from  Vera  Cruz,  at  the  base  of  the 
eastern  mountains,  in  the  midst  of  fertile  savannahs  constantly  watered 
by  streams  from  neighbouring  nills.  Although  it  is  the  centre  of  a 
country  remarkable  for  fertility,*  the  Indian  village  has  scarcely  a  white 
inhabitant,  with  the  exception  of  the  curate,  and  some  few  dealers,  who 
come  from  the  coast  to  traffic  their  wares  for  the  products  of  the  soil. 
The  people  of  the  upper  country  dislike  to  venture  into  the  heat  and  dis 
ease  of  the  tierra  caliente;  and,  in  turn,  its  inhabitants  dislike  an  expo 
sure  to  the  chills  of  the  tierrasfrias  or  templadas.  Thus  the  region  of 
Papantla,  two  leagues  from  the  village,  has  hitherto  remained  an  un 
explored  nook,  even  at  the  short  distance  of  fifty  miles  from  the  coast ; 
and  although  it  was  alluded  to  by  Baron  Humboldt,  it  had  never  been 
correctly  drawn,  or  even  accurately  described  before  the  visit  of 
M.  Nebel.  The  neighbouring  Indians,  even,  had  scarcely  seen  it, 
and  considerable  local  knowledge  was  required  to  trace  a  path  to  the 
relic  through  the  wild  and  tangled  forest. 

There  is  no  doubt,  from  the  masses  of  ruins  spread  over  the  plain, 
that  this  city  was  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circuit.  Although 

'  The  productions  here  are  vanilla,  sarsaparilla,  pepper,  wax,  cetton,  coffee,  tobacco,  a 
variety  of  valuable  woods,  and  sugar,  produced  annually  from  canes,  which  it  is  neces 
sary  to  plant  only  every  seven  or  eight  years. 


68 


ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 


Pyramid  of  Papantla. 

there  seems  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  abandoned  by  its 
builders  after  the  conquest,  there  has  still  been  time  enough  both  for 
the  growth  of  the  forest  in  so  warm  and  prolific  a  climate,  and  for  the 
gradual  destruction  of  the  buildings  by  the  seasons  and  other  causes. 
Indeed,  huge  trees,  trailing  plants,  and  parasite  vines  have  struck 
their  roots  among  the  crannies  and  joints  of  the  remaining  pyramid, 
and,  in  a  few  years  more,  will  consign  even  that  remnant  to  the  com 
mon  fate  of  the  rest  of  the  city. 

"  The  above  plate  presents  a  view  of  the  pyramid,  (called  by  the 
natives,  "  El  Tajin,")  as  seen  by  Nebel  after  he  had  cleared  it  of 
trees  and  foliage.  It  consists  of  seven  stories,  each  following  the 
same  angle  of  inclination,  and  each  terminated,  as  at  Xochicalco,  by 
a  frieze  and  cornice.  The  whole  of  these  bodies  are  constructed  of 
sand-stone,  neatly  squared  and  joined,  and  covered,  to  the  depth  of 
three  inches,  with  a  strong  cement,  which  appears,  from  the  remains 
of  colour  in  many  places,  to  have  been  entirely  painted.  The  pyra 
mid  measures  precisely  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  on  every  side, 


RUINS   OF    MISANTLA. 


69 


and  is  ascended,  in  front,  by  a  stairway  of  fifty-seven  steps,*  divided 
in  three  places  by  small  box-like  recesses  or  niches,  two  feet  in  depth, 
similar  to  those  which  are  seen  perforating  the  frieze  of  each  of  the 
bodies.  This  stairway  terminates  at  the  top  of  the  sixth  story,  the 
seventh  appearing  (although  in  ruins)  to  have  been  unlike  the  rest, 
and  hollow.  Here,  most  probably,  was  the  shrine  of  the  divinity  and 
the  place  of  sacrifice.''! 

With  the  following  account  of  Misantla,  we  close  our  extracts  from 
the  entertaining  and  instructive  work  of  Mr.  Mayer. 

"  Passing  by  the  Island  of  Sacrificios,  I  will  now  describe  the  ruins 
that  were  discovered  as  recently  as  1835,  adjacent  to  Misantla,  near 
the  city  of  Jalapa,  and  not  very  far  from  the  direct  road  to  the 
capital*. 

"  The  work  from  which  I  extract  my  information  is  the  Mosaic o 
Mexicano,  to  which  it  was  contributed,  I  believe,  by  Don  Isidrio 
Gondra. 

"  On  a  lofty  ridge  of  mountains  in  the  canton  of  Misantla,  there  is 
a  hill  called  Estillero,  (distant  some  thirty  miles  from  Jalapa,)  near 

*  Nebel  does  not  give  the  elevation,  but  says  there  are  fifty-seven  steps  to  the  top  of 
the  sixth  story,  each  step  measuring  one  foot  in  height, 
t  Vide  Humboldt,  vol.  ii  345, — and  Nebel. 


70  ANCIENT    MONUMEN1S. 

which  lies  a  mountain  covered  with  a  narrow  strip  of  table-land,  per 
fectly  isolated  from  the  surrounding  country  by  steep  rocks  and  inac 
cessible  barrancas.  Beyond  these  dells  and  precipices  there  is  a  lofty 
wall  of  hills,  from  the  summit  of  one  of  which  the.  sea  is  distinctly 
visible  in  the  direction  of  Nautla.  The  only  parts  of  the  country  by 
which  this  plain  is  accessible,  are  the  slopes  of  Estillero  :  on  all  other 
sides  the  solitary  mountain  seems  to  have  been  separated  from  the 
eighbouring  land  by  some  violent  earthquake  that  sunk  the  earth  to 
an  unfathomed  depth. 

"  On  this  recluded  and  isolated  eminence,  are  situated  the  remains 
of  an  ancient  city.  As  you  approach  the  plain  by  the  slopes  of  Estil 
lero,  a  broken  wall  of  large  stones,  united  by  a  weak  cement,  is  first 
observable.  This  apears  to  have  served  for  protection  to  a  circular 
plaza,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  pyramid  eighty  feet  high,  forty-nine 
feet  front,  and  forty-two  in  depth. 

"  The  account  does  not  state  positively  whether  this  edifice  is  con 
structed  of  stone,  but  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  is  so,  from 
the  wall  found  around  the  plaza,  and  the  remains  which  will  be  sub 
sequently  mentioned.  It  is  divided  into  three  stories,  or  rather,  there 
are  three  still  remaining.  On  the  broadest  front  a  stairway  leads  to 
the  second  body,  which,  in  turn,  is  ascended  at  the  side,  while  the 
top  of  the  third  is  reached  by  steps  cut  in  the  corner  edge  of  the  pyra 
mid.  In  front  of  the  teocalli,  on  the  second  story,  are  two  pilastral 
columns,  which  may  have  formed  part  of  a  staircase  ;  but  this  portion 
of  the  pyramid,  and  especially  the  last  body,  is  so  overgrown  with 
trees  that  its  outline  is  considerably  injured.  On  the  very  top,  (driving 
its  roots  into  the  spot  that  was  doubtless  formerly  the  holy  place  of 
the  temple,)  there  is  a  gigantic  tree,  which  from  its  immense  size  in 
this  comparatively  high  and  temperate  region,  denotes  a  long  period 
since  the  abandonment  of  the  altar  where  it  grows. 

"  At  the  periphery  of  the  circular  plaza  around  this  pyramid,  com 
mence  the  remains  of  a  town,  extending  northerly  in  a  straight  line 
for  near  a  league.  Immense  square  blocks  of  stone  buildings,  sepa 
rated  by  streets  at  the  distance  of  about  three  hundred  yards  from 
each  other,  mark  the  sites  of  the  ancient  habitations,  fronting  upon 
four  parallel  highways.  In  some  of  the  houses  the  walls  are  still  three 
or  four  feet  high,  but  of  most  of  them  there  is  nothing  but  an  outline 
tracery  of  the  mere  foundations.  On  the  south,  there  are  the  remains 
of  a  long  and  narrow  wall,  which  defended  the  city  in  that  quarter. 

"  North  of  the  town  there  is  a  tongue  of  land,  occupied  in  the  centre 
by  a  mound,  or  cemetery.  On  the  left  slope  of  the  hill  by  which  the 
ruins  are  reached,  there  are,  also,  twelve  circular  sepulchres,  two 
yards  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  as  many  high ;  the  walls  are  all 


RUINS    OF    PALENQUE.  71 

of  neatly  cut  stone,  but  the  cement  with  which  they  were  once  joined 
has  almost  entirely  disappeared.  In  these  sepulchres  several  bodies 
were  found,  parts  of  which  were  in  tolerable  preservation. 

"  Two  stones,  a  foot  and  a  half  long  by  half  a  foot  wide,  were  dis 
covered,  bearing  hieroglyphics,  which  are  described,  in  general  terms, 
as  'resembling  the  usual  hieroglyphics  of  the  Indians.'  Another 
figure  was  found,  representing  a  man  standing;-  and  another,  cut  out 
of  a  firm  but  porous  stone,  which  was  intended  to  portray  a  person 
sitting  cross-legged,  with  the  arms  also  crossed,  resting  on  his  knees. 
This,  however,  was  executed  in  a  very  inferior  style.  Near  it,  were 
discovered  many  domestic  utensils,  which  were  carried  to  Vera  Cruz, 
whence  they  have  been  dispersed,  perhaps  to  the  four  quarters  of  the 
globe. 

"  It  is  thus,  in  the  neglect  of  all  antiquities  in  Mexico,  in  the  midst 
of  her  political  distractions  and  bloody  revolutions,  that  every  vestige 
of  her  former  history  will  gradually  pass  to  foreign  countries,  instead 
of  enriching  the  cabinets  of  her  university,  and  stimulating  the  in- 
quisitiveness  of  her  scientific  students." 

In  the  year  1841  the  liveliest  interest  was  excited  in  the  public 
mind  of  our  country,  by  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Stephens's  eloquent 
work  entitled,  "  Incidents  of  Travel  in  Central  America,  Chiapas,  and 
Yucatan."  "He  visited,"  says  a  cotemporary  writer,*  "  the  cities  of 
Copan  and  Palenque,  besides  several  other  localities,  abounding  in 
ancient  ruins,  of  which  his  narrative  contains  a  vivid  description. 

"  These  cities  of  a  forgotten  empire  are  situated  in  or  near  Southern 
Mexico  and  Yucatan,  in  a  region  of  very  luxuriant  vegetation  ;  and 
it  is  owing  to  this  circumstance  that  Palenque  and  Copan  have  been 
hidden  in  a  dense  forest,  which  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  penetrate. 
It  is  an  astonishing  fact,  that  the  Spaniards  living  near  are  not  fully 
acquainted  with  the  ruins.  They  can  throw  but  little  light  on  the 
subject. 

"  Mr.  Stephens  was  informed  that  the  remains  of  Palenque  were 
discovered  by  a  party  of  Spaniards,  in  1750.  He  thinks  their  exist 
ence  must  have  been  known  to  the  Indians  from  time  immemorial. 
There  is  no  mention  of  such  a  city  in  any  known  history,  and  we  have 
no  tradition  relating  to  it.  It  has  received  the  name  of  Palenque 
from  a  neighbouring  village.  No  exploration  was  made  before  the 
year  1787,  when  Captain  Antonio  del  Rio  visited  the  ruins ;  but  his 
report  was  locked  up  in  the  archives  of  Guatimala  until  the  revolu 
tion.  It  then  came  into  the  hands  of  an  English  gentleman,  who 
published  a  translation  in  1822.  Dupaix'swork  appeared  in  France 

*  G.  Harding,  Esq.,  in  Young  People's  Book. 


72  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

hi  1834.  Shortly  afterwards,  Lord  Kingsborough  produced  an  "Ac 
count  of  Palenque,  and  other  Mexican  Antiquities,"  which  sold  for 
the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars  per  copy. 

"  It  will  hardly  be  deemed  necessary  to  enter  into  a  diffuse  and 
elaborate  description  of  the  remains  of  houses,  palaces,  altars,  statues, 
pyramids,  and  temples.  It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  such  monu 
ments  of  ancient  art,  without  wondering  at  the  skill,  taste,  and  mecha 
nical  power  of  a  people,  who,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  used 
tools  of  wrood  and  stone,  instead  of  instruments  of  iron. 

u  Among  the  ruins,  we  are  struck  with  the  features  delineated  in 
the  sculptured  images.  At  first  sight,  we  might  conclude  that  such 
were  the  mere  results  of  fancy ;  but  a  glance  at  the  Indians  found  by 
the  Spaniards  in  this  portion  of  the  world,  tends  to  show  that  the 
ancient  people  of  Mexico  bore  some  resemblance  to  these  statues. 
The  flat  head,  which  is  the  prominent  point  of  notice,  can  be  ex 
plained  from  the  custom  which  many  American  Indians  have  of  com 
pressing  the  cranium  in  infancy.  All  the  antiquities  of  Central 
America  abound  in  hieroglyphics,  which  doubtless  record  the  history 
of  ancient  nations.  The  remains  of  idols  appear  in  many  places. 
These  are  adorned  with  head  ornaments,  and  in  some  instances  are 
not  unlike  those  of  the  Egyptians.  The  palaces  and  temples  are 
mostly  in  a  ruinous  condition,  and  consist  of  a  number  of  apartments, 
opening  into  courts  and  quadrangles.  Many  of  the  handsome  edifices 
stand  on  pyramidal  elevations.  The  entrance  to  most  of  these  palaces 
is  by  a  staircase,  with  a  doorway  at  the  upper  part,  but  no  doors  have 
as  yet  been  discovered.  The  only  stone  statue  found  at  Palenque 
was  ten  feet  six  inches  high.  Mr.  Stephens  thinks  that  it  bears  a 
strong  resemblance  to  the  Egyptian  statues.  It  is  ornamented  with 
earrings,  and  other  representations  of  jewels.  Several  of  the  altars 
are  in  a  nearly  perfect  state,  and  display  an  evident  regard  to  archi 
tectural  embellishment ;  and  it  is  somewhat  singular,  that  on  one  of 
the  tablets  there  is  sculptured  a  cross,  before  which  two  suppliants 
appear  to  be  kneeling.  This  circumstance  has  given  rise  to  many 
learned  speculations  with  regard  to  Palenque.  Dupaix  accounts  for 
the  appearance  of  the  cross,  from  the  fact  that  it  had  a  symbolical 
meaning  among  ancient  nations  before  the  time  of  our  Saviour.  The 
hieroglyphics  seem  to  be  almost  Egyptian  in  their  style  and  charac- 
ier ;  at  any  rate,  it  is  probable  that  they  are  constructed  on  a  similar 
system  to  those  that  have  been  discovered  near  the  banks  of  the 
Nile. 

"  As  ocular  demonstration,  when  practicable,  is  in  all  cases  to 
be  preferred  to  mere  description,  it  will  not,  probably,  be  deemed 
inappropriate,  by  way  of  illustrating  this  portion  of  our  subject,  to  pre- 


G 


Monument  at  Oopan, 

10 


RUINS   OF   PALENQUE.  75 

sent  the  reader  with  an  engraving  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the 
iddlatrous  monuments  of  Central  America.  The  sketch  from  which  this 
engraving  is  taken  was  drawn  for  Mr.  Stephens,  the  celebrated  tra 
veller.  He  states  that  it  forms  a  prominent  object  in  the  ruins  of  Copan, 
and  that  it  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  wall  which  rises  in  steps  to  an 
elevation  of  thirty  or  forty  feet.  The  height  of  this  singular  monument 
is  eleven  feet  nine  inches ;  its  breadth  about  three  feet  on  each  side,  and 
it  stands  on  a  pedestal  which  must  have  been  seven  feet  square.  A  little 
above  the  centre  of  the  north  side,  which  is  here  represented,  is  a 
sculptured  face,  presumed  to  be  a  portrait  of  some  king  or  hero,  who 
had  probably  been  deified  after  his  death.  King  Solomon  said,  *  there 
is  nothing  new  under  the  sun ;'  and  here  we  see  an  instance  in  point ; 
for  the  image  on  this  monument  is  that  of  a  person  who  wore  mous 
taches,  as  do  men  of  fashion  of  the  present  day.  Beneath  the  portrait 
are  seen  the  hands  of  the  image  placed  upon  the  breast,  and  they  are 
apparently  very  well  formed.  The  other  parts  of  the  front  of  the 
monument,  as  well  as  the  three  remaining  sides,  are  richly  sculptured 
with  strange  figures,  kingly  crowns,  and  what  appear  to  be  symboli 
cal  representations  of  ancient  customs,  fables,  or  events.  Within 
twelve  feet  stands  an  altar  of  colossal  size,  formed,  like  the  monu 
ment  itself,  of  a  soft  gritty  stone,  which  had  once  been  painted  red, 
as  some  few  vestiges  of  the  pigment  are  now  to  be  seen.  This  altar 
is  ornamented  with  a  death's  head,  and  other  gloomy  symbols,  and 
its  top  is  cut  into  grooves  or  channels,  supposed  to  have  been  in 
tended  to  carry  off  the  blood  of  human  or  animal  victims  immolated 
in  sacrifice.  The  proximity  of  such  a  structure  to  the  monument  we 
have  described,  must  surely  strengthen  the  impression  that  the 
sculptured  portrait  is  that  of  some  object  of  worship. 

a  It  is  remarkable,  also,  that  in  many  parts  of  the  South  American 
continent,  pyramids  remain  to  this  day  that  are  well  and  uniformly 
built  of  solid  stone.  In  this  particular,  an  identity  of  taste  is  pre 
sented  between  the  unknown  people  of  Palenque  and  those  of  early 
Asia. 

"  Some  idea  of  the  remote  antiquity  of  Palenque  may  be  formed  from 
the  fact,  that  its  ruins  are  absolutely  concealed  by  the  thickness  of 
the  surrounding  forests,  while  the  very  roofs  of  its  houses,  palaces, 
and  temples,  have  been  covered  by  the  action  of  the  elements  and  the 
falling  of  leaves,  with  a  sufficient  depth  of  mould  to  bear  a  thick  wood 
of  trees.  Some  of  the  largest,  too,  having  been  cut  down  and  exa 
mined,  indicated,  by  the  concentric  circles  in  their  trunks,  that  they 
were  several  centuries  old.  And  yet  these  trees  must  have  commenced 
their  growth  when  the  city  was  as  deserted  and  as  desolate  as  it  is  at 
the  present  day. 


76  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

AVING  examined  the  condition  and  ex 
tent  of  the  ruins  of  Palenque,  let  us  pro 
ceed  to  inquire,  as  far  as  possible,  at 
what  period,  and  by  what  people,  these 
cities  were  built.  With  regard  to  the 
former,  many  conjectures  have  been 
made,  and  the  data  upon  which  to  form 
any  rational  conclusions  are  extremely 
vague.  Dupaix  gives  to  the  ruins  an 
antediluvian  origin,  and  in  support  of 
this  opinion  quotes  the  fact  of  the  great 

quantity  of  earth  under  which  many  portions  are  buried.  This  Mr. 
Stephens  shows  to  be  improbable,  for  he  removed  a  portion  of  this 
earth,  which  was  rather  loose,  in  a  short  time.  He  does  not  consider 
Palenque  of  such  great  antiquity  as  many  imagine  ;  but  he  thinks  that 
the  city  was  the  work  of  a  people  who  occupied  the  country  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  invasion  of  the  Spaniards.  This  supposition  is 
founded  on  the  circumstances  of  the  climate  and  the  luxuriance  of 
the  soil,  being  very  destructive  to  all  productions  of  art ;  while  the 
discovery  of  wooden  beams  in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation,  would 
seem  to  strengthen  such  an  opinion.  But  it  is  recorded  that  Cortes 
passed  within  a  few  miles  of  the  ruins;  and  it  is  probable,  if  they  had 
been  inhabited,  that  he  would  have  known  the  fact,  and  have  visited 
them.  It  is,  therefore,  with  our  present  insufficient  knowledge,  im 
possible  to  fix  upon  any  precise  period  of  habitation  to  these  antiqui 
ties.  We  may,  by  a  comparison  of  the  idols,  hieroglyphics,  and 
buildings,  with  similar  remains  in  the  old  world,  strive  to  identify 
them,  and  thus  deduce  an  origin  for  the  ancient  Mexicans.  They 
do  not  resemble  any  of  the  works  of  the  Greeks  or  Romans ;  hence 
we  must  go  to  Asia  or  Africa  for  further  comparisons.  The  archi 
tecture  of  Japan  and  India  appears  to  be  of  an  entirely  different 
kind  from  that  of  Central  America,  the  former  exhibiting  vast  exca 
vations  in  the  earth,  which  never  occur  in  the  latter.  In  the  next 
place,  we  apply  to  the  ancient  Egyptians,  Phoenicians,  or  Carthagi 
nians,  and  here  we  are  most  likely  to  obtain  the  source  of  the  earliest 
inhabitants  of  Central  America.  The  former  countries  abound  in 
statues,  pyramids,  and  many  other  architectural  remains,  to  which 
some  of  the  relics  in  Palenque  and  other  neighbouring  cities  seem  to 
bear  an  affinity.  Not  only  do  the  mounds,  pyramids,  forms  of  build 
ing,  and  hieroglyphics,  exhibit  an  identity  of  taste,  but  it  is  remark 
able  that,  at  Durango,  in  the  southern  part  of  Mexico,  mummies  ha\  e 
been  discovered  in  the  interior  of  pyramids,  bandaged  and  preserved 
in  a  similar  manner  to  those  of  Egyot.  Near  the  mummies,  too, 


RUINS    OF    PALENQUE.  77 

were  found  beads,  a  flint  poniard,  and  ornaments  of  bone  resembling 
polished  ivory.  Now,  although  such  things  have  not  been  discovered 
at  Palenque,  still,  as  it  is  probable  that  the  same  nation  inhabited  all 
the  cities  of  that  region  of  the  American  continent,  the  relics  at 
Durango  may  very  fairly  be  referred  to,  in  the  inquiry  under  con 
sideration.  Let  it  be  remembered,  also,  that  the  Mexicans  have  a 
tradition  of  some  universal  deluge,  resembling  that  of  Noah ;  and 
they  relate  a  circumstance  that  occurred  on  the  subsidence  of  the 
waters,  precisely  similar  to  the  scriptural  account  of  the  dove  and  the 
olive  branch.  The  ancient  Mexican  calendar  also,  was  not  unlike, 
in  several  of  its  features,  to  the  calendars  of  Egypt  and  of  Asia. 

"The  various  reasons  which  have  here  been  assigned,  all  tending 
to  show  the  probability  of  a  kindred  taste,  and  kindred  manners  and 
worship,  between  the  long  buried  people  of  Central  America  and  the 
ancient  inhabitants  of  some  parts  of  Asia,  and  perhaps  of  Egypt,  seem 
naturally  to  point  to  the  conclusion,  that  this  continent  was  originally 
settled  by  emigrants  from  the  East.  The  Phoenicians,  and  the  Car 
thaginians  who  sprang  from  them,  were  both  celebrated  for  their  ex 
tensive  commerce,  and  also  for  the  secrecy  they  observed  in  not 
allowing  neighbouring  nations  to  know  the  more  distant  places  to 
which  they  traded.  Is  it  not  possible — nay,  is  it  not  probable — that 
one  or  both  of  these  mercantile  nations  visited  America?  And  if  they 
did,  the  origin  of  these  ruins,  and  their  resemblance  to  the  old  struc 
tures  of  the  east,  are  at  once  accounted  for.  When  the  Carthaginian 
fleet  was  destroyed  by  the  Romans,  all  the  ships  were  burnt,  except 
some  which  were  absent  from  Carthage.  Perhaps  it  is  not  too  wild 
a  conjecture  to  be  hazarded,  that  the  vessels  which  were  not  in  port 
might  have  been  at  some  Carthaginian  colony  in  America.  All  this, 
however,  with  other  and  similar  speculations,  must  be  considered 
doubtful,  as  no  strong  light  has  yet  been  thrown  upon  the  subject,  to 
guide  us  back  through  the  dimness  of  antiquity.  A  vast  and  wonder 
ful  field  lies  open  to  the  traveller,  the  historian,  the  philosopher,  and, 
indeed,  to  every  explorer  into  the  past.  The  entire  question  of  the 
origin  and  characteristics  of  the  people  of  Palenque  and  other  neigh 
bouring  cities,  seems  pregnant  with  instruction  and  interest,  as  de 
veloping  a  most  important  feature,  and  probably  a  very  eventful 
period  in  the  annals  of  the  human  race." 

In  1842,  B.  M.  Norman,  Esq.,  of  New  Orleans,  published  his 
''Rambles  in  Yucatan,"  by  which  the  public  were  again  astonished 
/ind  delighted  with  a  new  disclosure  of  wonderful  ruins  at  Chi-Chen, 
Kahbah,  Zayi,  and  Uxmal.  The  stupendous  ruins  described  by  Mr 
Norman  are  evidently  the  work  of  the  same  race  who  built  the  tem 
ples  and  pyramids  of  Palenque  and  Copan.  They  were  scattered  over 


78  ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 

the  northern  part  of  the  Isthmus  of  Yucatan,  between  twenty  and 
twenty-one  degrees  of  north  latitude,  at  Uxmal,  Meridah,  Zayi,  Chi- 
Cherc,  and  Kahbah,  and  were  for  the  most  part,  previously  unex 
plored.  Mr.  Norman  thus  describes  the  ruins  of  Zayi : 

"  The  ruins  of  Zayi  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  succession  of 
beautiful  hills,  forming  around  them,  on  every  side,  an  enchanting 
landscape. 

"  The  principal  one  is  composed  of  a  single  structure,  an  immense 
pile,  facing  the  south,  and  standing  upon  a  slight  natural  elevation. 
The  first  foundation  is  now  so  broken  that  its  original  form  cannot  be 
fully  determined ;  but  it  probably  was  that  of  a  parallelogram.  Its 
front  wall  shows  the  remains  of  rooms  and  ceilings,  with  occasional 
pillars,  which,  no  doubt,  supported  the  corridors.  The  height  of 
this  wall  is  about  twenty  feet,  and,  as  near  as  I  was  able  to  measure 
around  its  base,  (owing  to  the  accumulation  of  ruins,)  it  was  ascer 
tained  to  be  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  long,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  wide. 

"  In  the  centre  of  this  foundation  stands  the  main  building,  the  west- 
tern  half  only  remaining,  with  a  portion  of  the  steps,  outside,  leading 
to  the  top.  This  part  shows  a  succession  of  corridors,  occupying 
the  whole  front,  each  supported  by  two  pillars,  with  plain  square 
caps  and  plinths,  and  intervening  spaces,  filled  with  rows  of  small 
ornamented  pillars.  In  the  rear  of  these  corridors  are  rooms  of  small 
dimensions  and  angular  ceilings,  without  any  light  except  that  which 
the  front  affords.  Over  these  corridors,  or  pillars,  is  a  fine  moulding 
finish,  its  angle  ornamented  with  a  hook  similar  to  those  of  Chi-Chen. 
Above  this  moulding  is  a  finish  of  small  plain  round  pillars,  or  stand 
ards,  interspersed  with  squares  of  fine  ornamental  carvings ;  the  cen 
tral  fagade  showing  the  remains  of  more  elaborate  work,  concentrated 
within  a  border,  the  arrangement  of  which  is  lost.  There  is  an  evi 
dent  analogy  existing  between  these  ornaments  and  those  of  Kahbah, 
but  order  is  less  apparent.  I  could  discover  no  resemblance  what 
ever  to  those  of  Chi-Chen. 

"  Over  these  rooms  of  the  main  building  is  another  terrace,  or 
foundation,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  building  in  similar  ruins  to 
those  under  it;  having,  also,  broken  steps  leading  to  the  top.  It 
stands  upon  a  foundation,  apparently,  of  six  to  eight  feet  in  height, 
occupying  about  two-thirds  of  the  area ;  the  residue,  probably,  form 
ing  a  promenade.  There  are  three  doorways  yet  remaining,  the 
lintels  and  sides  of  which  are  broken,  and  which  have  caused  the 
walls  above  to  fall  down.  The  walls  of  this  part  of  the  edifice  are 
constructed  of  hewn  stone,  without  any  signs  of  ornament.  A  plain 
finished  moulding  runs  through  the  centre ;  portions  of  the  cornice 


RUINS    OF    ZAYI. 


79 


Ruins  of  Zayi. 

still  remain,  with  three  or  four  pieces  of  flat  projecting  stones,  which 
formed  a  part  of  the  top  finish. 

"The  whole  extent 'of  the  rear  is  covered  with  confused  piles  of 
ruins,  overgrown  with  trees.  Near  by  these  are  fragments  of  walls 
and  rooms,  with  a  few  ornaments  yet  remaining  about  them.  Some 
of  the  rooms  appear  to  have  been  single,  and  apart  from  all  other 
buildings.  There  are  also  various  mounds  in  the  vicinity. 

"A  few  rods  south  are  the  remains  of  a  single  high  wall,  with 
numerous  square  apertures,  like  pigeon-holes.  Its  foundation  is 
elevated  ;  around  which  the  broken  walls  and  ceilings  are  to  be  seen. 
The  summits  of  the  neighbouring  hills  are  capped  with  gray  broken 
walls  for  many  miles  around.  I  discovered  no  hieroglyphics  or 
paintings  of  any  kind ;  neither  the  extraordinary  skill  displayed  in 
the  ornamental  carvings,  as  at  Chi-Chen. 

"  On  my  route  to  these  ruins  I  made  digressions  from  the  road, 
and  found,  on  all  sides,  numerous  remains  of  walls  and  ceilings ; 
also,  mounds  and  small  pyramids,  covered  with  the  wild  vegetation 
of  the  country.  My  time  being  limited  to  a  day,  I  left  these  interest 
ing  reminiscences  of  an  unknown  people  under  the  cover  of  night, 
and  returned,  wearied  with  my  day's  labour,  to  Nohcacab." 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  follow.  Mr.  Norman  in  his  minute 
description  of  the  ruins  of  the  other  cities  in  this  remote  district  of 
the  Mexican  republic,  but  we  cannot  take  leave  of  him  without 


80 


ANCIENT   MONUMENTS. 


quoting  the  following  remarks  on  a  moonlight  view  of  the  ruins  of 
Uxmal. 

"  A  moonlight  scene  from  the  Governor's  House  is  one  of  the  most 
enchanting  sights  I  ever  witnessed.  The  moon  had  risen  about  half 
way  up  from  the  horizon,  and  was  now  throwing  its  strong  silver 
light  over  the  whitened  fagade  of  our  house.  Castles,  palaces,  and 
falling  pyramids  were  distinctly  to  be  traced  in  the  foreground.  At 
a  distance,  walls  and  mounds,  rising  above  the  green  verdure  of  the 
land,  looked  like  a  multitude  of  small  islands  in  a  calm  summer's 
sea.  All  was  quiet  but  the  chirp  of  the  cricket,  or  the  occasional 
scream  of  some  night-bird  of  the  wood.  It  was  a  scene  of  natural 
beauty  such  as  I  never  have  seen  realized  upon  the  canvass  of  the 
artist,  or  even  in  the  pages  of  poetry." 

We  will  linger  no  longer  among  the  interesting  ruins  of  the  ancient 
empires  of  Mexico,  but  proceed  at  once  to  our  account  of  the  con 
quest  by  Cortes. 


Ruins  of  Uxmal. 


The  landing  of  Cortes  at  Vera  Cruz. 


CHAPTER  V. 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONQUEST    BY    CORTES, 

HE  island  of  Cuba  was  conquered  in 
1511,  by  the  Spaniards  under  Velas 
quez,  who  immediately  turned  his  at 
tention  to  the  seas  westward  of  his 
island,  in  the  hope  of  verifying  the 
prediction  of  Columbus,  that  sailing 
to  the  westward  would  result  in  still 
further  discoveries.  One  of  the  ex 
peditions  prepared  by  him,  and  com 
manded  by  a  wealthy  colonist,  named  Cordova,  discovered  the  pe 
ninsula  of  Yucatan,  and  the  country  which  was  shortly  to  be  the 
scene  of  the  wonderful  exploits  of  Cortes.  This  success  caused  great 
exultation  in  the  breast  of  Velasquez,  although  its  commander,  Cor 
dova,  lost  his  life  by  a  wound  received  in  battle  with  the  natives, 
who  slew  a  large  portion  of  his  followers.  Juan  de  Grijalva,  the 
nephew  of  the  governor,  left  Cuba  in  April,  1517,  and  spent  five 

11  (81) 


62  CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 

months  in  cruising  along  the  coast,  trading  with  the  natives  for  gold 
trinkets.  He  landed  at  a  small  island,  where  the  Spaniards  first  saw 
a  human  sacrifice,  whence  they  gave  it  the  name  of  the  Island  of  Sa- 
crificios.  He  also  touched  at  another  small  island,  which  he  named 
San  Juan  de  Ulloa.  From  this  place  he  despatched  one  of  his  officers, 
Pedro  de  Alvarado,  to  Cuba,  to  give  Velasquez  an  account  of  his 
success.  Grijalva  continued  his  voyage  as  far  as  Panuco,  whence  he 
judged  it  advisable  to  return  to  Cuba.  '  He  had  explored  a  hitherto 
unknown  coast  of  several  hundred  miles  in  extent,  the  wealth  and 
fertility  of  which  rendered  it  worthy  of  the  name  of  New  Spain,  thus 
early  conferred  upon  it. 

Alvarado's  information  so  transported  Velasquez,  that  he  despatched 
a  messenger  to  the  king  of  Spain,  with  an  account  of  his  efforts  for 
the  extension  of  the  empire,  and  their  glorious  results,  and  at  the 
same  time  began  to  prepare  a  powerful  armament  for  the  conquest 
of  these  new  lands,  the  command  of  which  he  determined  to  give  to 
a  man  possessed  of  the  requisite  ability  and  resolution  to  lead  it  suc 
cessfully,  and  at  the  same  time  so  gentle  and  tractable  in  spirit  as  to 
be  a  passive  instrument  in  his  own  hands.  He  was  too  jealous  of 
Grijalva  to  intrust  him  with  the  charge,  and  he  could  find  no  one 
who  united  in  himself  the  incongruous  qualities  he  was  seeking.  At 
length  Andreas  Duero,  his  own  secretary,  and  Amador  de  Lares, 
the  royal  treasurer  of  Cuba,  proposed  to  him  the  name  of  Cortes, 
who  had  given  many  proofs  of  his  capacity  for  the  command, 
whose  popularity  was  exceedingly  great,  whose  fortune  would  mate 
rially  assist  in  fitting  out  the  expedition,  and  whose  gratitude  it  was 
supposed,  would  secure  his  fidelity  to  Velasquez.  The  governor  was 
persuaded,  sent  for  Cortes,  and  appointed  him  captain-general  of  the 
expedition. 

Cortes  received  his  commission  with  every  demonstration  of  re 
spect  and  gratitude,  and  immediately  erected  his  standard  before  his 
own  door,  assumed  a  military  dress  somewhat  befitting  his  rank,  and 
exerted  his  utmost  influence  and  activity  in  persuading  his  friends  to 
engage  in  the  service,  and  in  urging  forward  the  preparations  for  the 
voyage.  All  his  own  funds,  and  all  the  money  he  could  raise  by 
mortgaging  his  lands  and  Indians,  were  expended  in  the  purchase  of 
military  stores  and  provisions,  and  it  was  afterwards  contended  that 
two-thirds  of  the  expenses  of  the  expedition  were  borne  by  him. 
The  change  in  the  manners  and  habits  of  Cortes,  which  came  sud 
denly  over  him,  was  noticed  by  the  governor  with  some  distrust,  which 
his  disappointed  competitors  were  quick  to  perceive,  and  malicious 
enough  to  turn  to  his  disadvange.  Their  insinuations  had  such  an 
effect  upon  the  mind  of  the  governor  that  he  determined  to  depose 


CORTES    SAILS   FROM   CUBA.  83 

Cort.es  from  the  command,  but  that  officer  had  already  noticed  the 
altered  feelings  of  the  governor  toward  him,  and  by  the  advice  of 
Lares  and  Duero,  determined  to  outwit  his  patron.  He  accordingly 
hastened  forward  his  preparations,  shipped  all  the  stores  that  had 
been  collected,  brought  all  his  officers  on  board,  and  set  sail  on  the 
night  of  the  18th  of  November,  1518,  taking  leave  of  the  governor 
on  the  following  morning,  by  a  wave  of  his  hand,  as  he  stood  in  his 
boat,  out  of  reach  of  that  worthy  functionary.  From  St.  Jago  he- 
sailed  to  Trinidad,  on  the  same  side  of  the  island,  with  a  view  to 
add  to  his  stock  of  military  stores  and  provisions,  which  he  had  not 
had  time  to  complete.  He  afterwards  sailed  to  the  Havana,  for  the 
same  purpose.  At  each  of  these  places  he  was  joined  by  additional 
recruits.  Many  cavaliers  of  distinction,  some  of  whom  had  accom 
panied  Grijalva,  entered  his  ranks  at  Trinidad. 

F  these  are  named  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  Christoval 
de  Olid,  Alonzo  de  Avila,  Juan  Velasquez  de 
Leon,  Alonzo  Hernandez  de  Puertocerro,  and 
Gonzalo  de  Sandovai.  The  conduct  of  Cortes 
in  departing  so  suddenly  filled  the  mind  of  Ve 
lasquez  with  still  more  serious  apprehensions,  and 
he  wrote  to  the  governors  of  both  the  places  at 
which  he  stopped,  to  seize  the  captain-general 
and  send  him  back.  The  governors,  however,  were  both  well  dis 
posed  towards  Cortes,  and  even  if  they  had  been  otherwise  they  were 
powerless  to  effect  the  governor's  purposes  so  devoted  had  his  fol 
lowers  already  become  to  him. 

The  expedition  finally  left  the  island  of  Cuba  on  the  18th  of  Fe 
bruary,  1519.  It  consisted  of  eleven  vessels,  mostly  small,  and 
without  decks,  all  of  which  in  a  few  days  reached  the  island  of  Co- 
zumel  in  safety,  where  Cortes  landed  to  review  his  troops.  He  had 
five  hundred  and  fifty-three  soldiers,  and  one  hundred  and  ten  marines, 
under  his  command,  with  sixteen  horses,  ten  brass  field-pieces,  four 
smaller  ones,  called  falconets,  and  thirty-two  cross-bows ;  the  most  of 
the  soldiers  were  armed  with  the  ordinary  steel  weapons.  They  had 
some  two  hundred  Cuba  Indians,  and  last,  but  in  the  estimation  of  the 
adventurers,  not  least  in  importance,  two  ecclesiastics,  the  licentiate, 
Juan  Diaz  and  father  Bartholomew  de  Olmedo.  The  inhabitants  of 
Cozumel  were  very  friendly,  and  Cortes  remained  there  nine  or  ten 
days,  endeavouring,  by  the  aid  of  an  interpreter,  to  argue  the  natives 
into  a  belief  in  Christianity.  One  of  his  most  potent  arguments 
was  the  tumbling  of  their  idols  down  the.  stairs  of  the  great  temple. 
An  altar  was  constructed  where  they  had  stood,  and  an  image  of  the 
Virgin  and  child  was  placed  over  it.  The  natives  were  horror  struck, 


84 


CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 


Bartholomew  de  Olmedo. 

but  as  their  gods  did  not  resent  the  indignity,  they  were  persuaded 
to  be  Christians.  At  Cozumel,  Cortes  discovered  Jeronimo  de  Agui- 
lar,  a  man  who  had  been  educated  for  the  church,  but  who  having 
been  wrecked  in  1511,  on  his  passage  from  Darien  to  Hispaniola,  had 
been  seven  years  in  slavery.  He  spoke  the  language  .of  the  natives 
of  Yucatan,  and  was  very  useful  as  an  interpreter. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1519,  the  fleet  set  sail  from  Cozumel,  and 
on  the  13th  entered  the  Grijalva,  or  Tabasco  river,  up  which  he  sailed 
as  far  as  the  town  of  the  same  name,  remarking  every  where  on  his 
passage  the  preparations  of  the  natives  to  givs  him  battle.  On 
reaching  Tabasco,  he  fought  his  way  through  great  bodies  of  the  In 
dians,  who  darkened  the  air  with  the  flight  of  their  arrows  and  stones, 
to  the  open  square  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  The  discharge  of  fire 
arms  terrified  the  enemy,  who  retired  from  the  conflict,  leaving  Cortes 
to  take  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  Spain, 
which  he  did  by  giving  a  large  tree  three  slashes  with  his  sword, 
while  they  went  to  prepare  for  a  great  battle.  Suspecting  their  in 
tentions,  Cortes,  on  the  following  morning,  sent  out  detachments 
under  Alvarado,  and  Francisco  de  Luva,  to  reconnoiter,  which  were 
in  great  danger  of  being  destroyed  by  the  enemy.  They  brought 
back  on  their  retreat  a  few  prisoners,  however,  from  whom  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  whole  country  was  in  arms,  prepared  to  assault 
him  on  the  following  day.  He  brought  the  horses  and  heavy  guns 
from  the  ships,  and  determined  to  anticipate  the  attack.  The  com 


DEFEAT    OF    THE   NATIVES. 


65 


mand  of  his  artillery  he  gave  to  Misa,  an  engineer  who  had  served 
in  Italy. 

DIEGO  DE  ORDAZ  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  infantry,  and  he  himself  led  the  cavalryr 
which  included  several  of  the  bravest  of  his 
band.      The  cavalry  were  to  make  a  circuit 
and  fall  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  who  were 
encamped  in  a  plain  without  the  city,  while 
the    infantry   and   artillery   attacked  them   in 
front.    The  artillery  made   sad  havoc  among 
the  dense  ranks  of  the  poor  natives,  who  re 
turned  the  fire  by  discharging  their  arrows  and 
stones,  while  they  tried  to  hide  their  loss  by 
throwing  up  dust  and  leaves.     Their  numbers 
were  so  immense  that  the  little  army  seemed 
in  danger  of  being  overwhelmed.     The  en 
gagement  had  lasted  nearly  an  hour,  and  they 
scarcely   had  room  left  to  work  their  guns, 
when   the  cavalry  came  to  the    rescue,  and 
threw  the  Indians  into  disorder.      They  came 
on  through  the  thick  ranks,  cleaving  the  skulls 
of  the  enemy  right  and  left,  and  shouting  their 
war-cry  of   "San  Jago  and  San  Pedro,"  a 
Diego  de  Ordaz.        circumstance,  perhaps,  which  led  the  faithful 
to  imagine  that  in  the  moment  of  their  deliverance  they  saw  the  pa 
tron  saint  of  Spain  doing  battle  for  them  valiantly  on  his  war-horse. 
Some  think  it  was  the  tutelar  divinity  of  Cortes,  Saint  Peter,  but 
the  honest  historian,  Bernal  Diaz,  a  participant  and  chronicler  of  the 
actions  of  the  conquerors,  says  that  being  too  great  a  sinner,  he  was  not 
permitted  to  see  either  one  or  the  other  of  the  apostles  on  this  occasion. 
The  Indians,  panic-stricken  at  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  cavalry 
in  their  rear,  and  imagining  the  horse  and  his  rider  to  be  one,  were 
immediately  thrown  into  confusion,  and  when  Ordaz  made  a  general 
charge  along  their  line,  they  fled  without  resistance.     Cortes   made 
no  pursuit,  but  drew  up  his  men  under  a  copse  of  palms  to  return 
thanks  to  God  for  a  victory  which  had  cost  them  but  two  killed  and 
a  hundred  wounded,1  while  the  enemy  had  fallen  by  thousands. 

The  spirit  of  the  Tabascans  was  subdued.  The  chiefs  came  to 
the  camp  of  the  victor  with  faces  expressive  of  deep  contrition,  and 
brought  him  presents  of  fowls,  fish,  maize,  and  numerous  gold  toys  re 
presenting  animals  in  miniature.  For  the  horses  they  brought  a  feast 
of  turkeys  and  roses.  They  gave  Cortes  twenty  Indian  girls,  slaves, 
to  attend  the  army.  They  uttered  the  words  "  Culua,  Mexico,"  and 


86 


CONQUEST  BY   CORTEST. 


pointed  to  the  west  in  reply  to  questions  where  the  gold  came  from, 
and  as  the  soldiers  had  received  "no  particular  satisfaction"  at  find 
ing  no  gold  in  the  town,  they  were  anxious  to  proceed  on  the  voy 
age.  The  eloquence  of  Father  Olmedo  having  induced  the  chiefs  to 
embrace  Christianity,  Cortes  celebrated  their  conversion  by  a  mag 
nificent  procession  on  Palm  Sunday,  in  which  thousands  of  Indians 
participated,  to  the  principal  temple.  The  image  of  the  presiding 
deity  was  deposed,  and  that  of  the  Virgin  with  the  infant  Saviour 
substituted  ;  the  holy  father  celebrated  mass,  and  the  wondering  na 
tives,  according  to  the  chronicles,  were  affected  to  tears.  "  This 
must  needs  be  a  great  God,"  they  said,  "to  whom  such  valiant 
men  show  such  respect."  "  They  hit  upon  the  truth,"  says  De 
Solis,  "but  mistook  in  their  way  of  reasoning."  Cortes  then  took 
leave  of  the  cacique  and  the  principal  Indians,  well  satisfied  that  the 
efficacy  of  his  teachings,  if  they  had  not  converted  them,  "had 
brought  them  so  far  in  the  way  to  salvation,  as  to  desire,  or  at  least 
not  to  oppose  the  means  of  obtaining  it."* 

ON  the  Monday  after  Palm 
Sunday,  the  flotilla  set  sail  from 
Tabasco,  and  on  Holy  Thursday, 
April  20,  1519,  it  arrived  at  San 
Juan  de  Ulloa.  Here  a  light 
pirogue  pushed  off  from  the  shore, 
and  steered  for  the  ship  of  Cor 
tes,  which  they  entered  not  only 
without  fear,  but  with  the  air  of 
ease  and  confidence  which  marks 
good  breeding.  Their  language, 
unfortunately,  Aguilar  could  not 
understand,  but  they  were  re 
leased  from  this  dilemma  by 
Donna  Marina,  one  of  the  twenty 
slave  girls  given  to  Cortes  by  the  Tabascans.  She  was  a  Mexican 
by  birth,  and  in  her  captivity  she  had  learned  the  Tabascan  language, 
so  that,  by  means  of  a  double  interpretation,  the  Spaniards  were  able 
to  communicate  with  the  natives.  She  was  a  girl  of  great  talent,  and 
she  soon  relieved  Aguilar  of  part  of  his  duty  as  interpreter,  by  learn 
ing  the  Spanish  language  herself.  Cortes  made  her  his  interpreter, 
then  his  secretary,  and  finally  his  mistress.  She  was  universally  be 
loved  by  the  army,  and  her  name,  Malinche,  was  always  pronounced 
with  tenderness  by  the  conquered  races,  who  were  not  long  in  learn 
ing  that  they  met  with  sympathy  in  her  noble,  generous  heart. 

*  De  Solis's  History  of  the  Conquest,  vol.  i.  Book  I. 


LANDING  OF  CORTES  AT  VERA  CRUZ. 


87 


By  means  of  his  interpreter,  Cortes  learned  that  the  Aztec  vwiters 
to  his  ship  were  ordered  by  the  governor  of  the  province  to  ascer 
tain  what  he  wanted  on  their  coasts,  and  to  promise  to  supply  what 
ever  he  required.  He  told  them  that  he  wished  to  make  the  ac- 
•aintance  of  the  people  of  that  country,  and  that  he  would  do  them 
10  injury.  He  gave  them  some  cut-glass  beads,  and  an  entertain 
ment,  after  which  they  took  their  leave,  promising  that  Teuhtlile,  the 
governor  of  the  province  under  Montezuma,  would  pay  him  a  visit 
shortly.  On  the  next  day,  Friday,  April  21st,  Cortes  landed  his 
troops,  his  horses,  and  the  artillery,  selected  a  camp,  and  began  to 
fortify  it,  the  Indians  assisting  him  very  much  in  the  labour. 

.EUHTLILE  and  his  attendants  had  an 
interview  with  him  the  next  day,  in 
which  he  treated  them  with  much 
ceremony,  but  immediately  preferred 
a  request  which  gave  them  great  un 
easiness.  This  was,  to  be  conducted 
without  loss  of  time  into  the  presence 
of  their  master.  Teuhtlile  informed 
him  that  a  statement  of  his  demand 
should  be  sent  to  the  emperor,  and 
that  an  answer  would  be  returned  in 
a  few  days.  He  received  some  pre 
sents  from  Cortes  for  the  emperor,  and 
gave  him  some  for  his  king  in  the  name  of  that  prince.  Observing 
one  of  the  governor's  attendants  engaged  in  drawing,  Cortes  looked 
upon  his  labour,  and  was  astonished  to  see  a  representation  on  canvass 
of  the  Spaniards,  their  arms,  costume,  and  objects  of  interest  con 
nected  with  them.  The  picture  writing  of  the  country  was  explained 
to  him,  and  gave  him  much  pleasure.  He  ordered  the  army  to  go 
through  its  exercises,  the  cavalry  to  be  exercised  on  the  beach,  and 
the  artillery  to  be  fired  into  the  woods,  where  the  balls  made  great 
havoc  among  the  thick  foliage ;  and  drew  the  attention  of  the  artist 
to  the  ships.  All  these  excited  much  terror  in  the  mind  of  Teuhtlile 
and  his  followers,  but  a  clear  account  of  the  whole  was  painted  out 
and  despatched  to  the  emperor. 

Montezuma  now.  commenced  a  course  of  conduct  marked  by 
timidity  and  irresolution,  which  would  be  altogether  unaccountable 
in  so  brave  and  mighty  a  sovereign,  did  we  not  recollect  the  Aztec 
proneness  to  superstition,  and  the  story  of  Quetzalcoatl,  whose  pre 
diction  (that  strangers  with  white  skins  like  his  own,  would  come 
from  the  East  in  the  future,  to  conquer  and  possess  the  country,)  was 
constantly  present  to  his  mind.  There  could  be  no  question  that 


$8  CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 

ne  looked  upon  the  Spaniards,  from  the  hour  of  their  first  visit,  under 
Grijalva,  as  the  men  who  were  to  bring  about  this  fatal  revolution ; 
and  the  accounts  of  the  dreadful  lesson  of  their  might  taught  to  the 
Fabascans,  had  been  transmitted  to  him,  and  added  to  his  disquieting 
apprehensions.  He  refused  to  allow  the  strangers  to  visit  him,  but 
endeavoured  to  forestall  hostile  feelings  on  their  parts  by  so  magnifi 
cent  a  present  as  should  prove  his  friendship  and  secure  their  grati 
tude.  It  was  composed  of  finely  wrought  cotton  stuffs,  and  many 
splendid  specimens  of  the  feather-work  of  the  country,  with  a  mis 
cellaneous  collection  of  jewels,  and  articles  of  gold  and  silver,  among 
which  were  two  plates,  "  as  large  as  carriage  wheels ;"  one  of  gold, 
representing  the  sun,  worth  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  another  of  silver,  typical  of  the  moon.  The  Spaniards  were 
delighted  with  the  present,  but  Cortes  did  not  so  well  like  the 
message  which  accompanied  it,  that  Montezuma  was  happy  to 
hear  of  the  existence  of  his  royal  brother  of  Spain,  and  wished  to 
be  considered  his  friend,  yet  he  could  not  come  to  see  the  Spa 
niards,  and  it  was  too  far  for  them  to  come  and  see  him.  He  there 
fore  hoped  they  would  depart,  and  carry  his  respects  to  his  brother, 
their  monarch. 

The  Spanish  general  coolly  answered  that  he  could  not  leave  the 
country  without  being  able  to  say  that  he  had  seen  the  king  with  his 
own  eyes ;  and  the  ambassadors  departed,  carrying  a  poor  present 
from  Cortes.  Montezuma  at  first  resolved  to  sacrifice  the  strangers 
to  his  gods,  but  his  fears  immediately  overcame  his  resolution,  and 
he  sent  them  a  second  magnificent  present,  with  the  message  that  he 
could  not  permit  any  thing  more  to  be  said  as  to  the  interview. 
Cortes  thanked  the  ambassadors  for  their  present,  and  returned  a 
more  decided  message  to  Montezuma,  to  the  same  effect  as  before. 
The  Mexicans  evinced  surprise  and  disgust  at  his  conduct,  and  with 
drew  from  all  intercourse  with  him. 

ORTES  now  determined  to  throw  off  all  con 
nexion  with  Velasquez,  whose  partisans  in  the 
expedition  gave  him  an  opportunity,  by  cla 
mouring  for  the  return  of  the  expedition  to 
Cuba.  The  captain-general  pretended  to  yield 
to  their  commands,  and  ordered  the  embarka 
tion  of  the  army,  when  his  own  party  nocked 
to  his  tent,  and  implored  him  not  to  abandor 
an  enterprise  so  successfully  begun.  He  therefore  revoked  the  forme 
order,  and  forthwith  commenced  the  establishment  of  a  new  city 
which  was  called  Villa  Rica  de  la  Vera  Cruz,  "  The  Rich  Town  o± 
the  True  Cross."  Alcaldes  and  other  officers  were  appointed,  and 


STRATAGEM    OF    CORTES.  89 

the  whole  city  government  fixed,  although  the  first  stone  of  it  was  as 
yet  to,  be  laid.  Cortes  then  appeared  before  the  council  and  resigned 
his  authority.  Whereupon  the  council  unanimously  appointed  him,  in 
the  king's  name,  captain-general  and  chief  justice  of  the  colony.  Thus 
he  substituted  the  king  of  Spain  for  the  governor  of  Cuba  as  the 
source  of  his  authority.  While  these  ceremonies  were  being  enacted, 
a  deputation  arrived  from  Cempoalla,  the  capital  city  of  the  Totonacs, 
whose  cacique  invited  Cortes  to  visit  the  city.  The  possibility  of 
dividing  the  empire  against  itself  instantly  suggested  itself  to  Cortes, 
who  marched  to  Cempoalla  while  the  city  of  Villa  Rica  was  slowly 
erected.  The  Spaniards  gained  the  good  will  of  the  Totonacs ; 
although  they  put  an  end  to  their  human  sacrifices  by  destroying  their 
gods  before  their  eyes.  The  cacique  also  gave  Cortes,  by  his  daily 
conversation,  a  great  insight  into  the  condition  of  the  empire,  which, 
groaning  under  the  heavy  taxes  caused  by  the  lavish  expenditure  of 
Montezuma,  with  its  nobles  disgusted  by  his  arrogance,  only  waited 
an  opportunity  for  assailing  the  Aztecs  with  success.  . 

Cortes,  being  ready  to  march  into  the  interior,  returned  first  to  Villa 
Rica,  where  a  Spanish  vessel  had  arrived  in  his  absence,  with  a  rein 
forcement  of  twelve  volunteers  and  two  horses.  These  joined  his 
standard,  and  informed  him  that  Velasquez  had  received  the  royal 
authority  to  found  a  colony  in  New  Spain.  Cortes  then  determined 
to  send  his  two  friends,  Puertocerro  and  Montejo,  to  Spain,  witl. 
two  letters,  one  written  by  himself,  the  other  by  the  authorities  of 
Villa  Rica ;  nearly  all  of  the  gold  that  had  been  collected ;  and  the 
presents  of  Montezuma,  a  richer  freight  than  had  ever  yet  left  the 
shores  of  the  New  World.  The  chief  business  of  the  voyage,  however, 
was  to  secure  the  appointment  of  Cortes  as  captain-general  of  the 
colony.  The  pilot  was  ordered  to  make  at  once  for  Spain,  and  by 
all  means  to  avoid  touching  at  Cuba. 

The  departure  of  Puertocerro  and  Montejo  filled  the  minds  of 
many  of  his  followers  with  longings  for  their  homes,  and  Cortes  soon 
after  discovered  a  conspiracy,  formed  by  some  soldiers  and  sailors,  to 
seize  a  vessel  and  return  to  Cuba.  The  licentiate,  Diaz,  was  impli 
cated  in  the  plot,  and  would  have  been  put  to  death  had  he  not  been 
a  priest.  As  it  was,  two  of  the  ringleaders  were  executed,  and  the 
pilot  had  his  feet  cut  off.  This  determined  Cortes  to  destroy  his 
ships,  and  finding  his  most  trusty  followers  similarly  disposed,  he 
obtained  a  report  from  the  pilots  that  the  vessels  were  no  longer  sea 
worthy,  and  then  caused  them  to  be  stripped  of  their  apparel,  broken 
in  pieces,  and  sunk.  This  bold  measure  added  one  hundred  and 
ten  sailors  to  his  force,  many  of  whom  became  valiant  soldiers,  and 
all  of  whom  were  of  great  use. 

n2  12 


90  CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 

ORTES  left  a  considerable  force  as  a  gar- 
s  rison  at  Villa  Rica,  under  his  trustworthy 
N  j  friend,  Juan  de  Escalante,  and  set  out  on 
'  his  march  inland  from  the  country  of  the 
Totonacs,  August  16,  1519.  His  army  numbered 
four  hundred  Spaniards  on  foot,  and  fifteen  horses, 
accompanied  by  thirteen  hundred  Cempoallan 
warriors  and  a  thousand  tamanes,  or  Indian 
body  slaves^  who  were  employed  in  laborious  offices.  Leaving  the 
Tierra  Caliente,  they  began  the  ascent  of  the  mountains  which  sepa 
rate  it  from  the  plain  of  Anahuac,  and  in  a  few  days  they  reached 
the  province  of  Tlascala,  the  only  nation  of  Anahuac  which  the  fierce 
Aztecs  had  not  been  able  to  bring  under  their  yoke.  From  their 
known  enmity  to  Montezuma  and  his  race,  the  Cempoallans  had 
confidently  counted  upon  a  favourable  reception  and  alliance  with 
them,  but  in  this  they  were  sorely  disappointed.  The  supreme 
power  in  Tlascala  was  exercised  by  four  caciques,  who  held  their 
courts  in  different  quarters  of  the  same  city,  independent  of  each 
other,  yet  united  in  the  strictest  alliance.  Around  them  were  ga 
thered  the  nobles  and  people.  On  the  approach  of  the  Spaniards,  a 
consultation  was  had  respecting  the  treatment  to  be  given  them,  and 
the  council  was  divided,  for  a  time,  between  two  opinions.  Some 
were  disposed  to  welcome  them  in  the  hope  of  overthrowing  the 
empire  of  Montezuma  by  their  aid;  others  justly  answered  that  the 
Spaniards  were  the  common  enemies  of  both  races,  and  that  they 
ought  to  be  destroyed  immediately.  Hostilities  were  at  length 
resolved  upon,  and  the  young  chief  Xicotencatl,  the  son  of  one  of  the 
four  caciques,  led  the  armies  of  his  country  to  battle.  The  annals 
of  warfare  record  not  the  .name  of  a  more  determined  leader ;  and 
the  world  never  produced  a  braver  army.  The  first  battle  was 
fought  on  the  first  two  days  of  September,  1519,  and  the  Spaniards 
triumphed,  but  with  the  utmost  difficulty.  "  Every  man  among  us 
did  his  duty,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "and  we  fought  away  like  brave 
warriors,  for  in  all  truth  we  were  placed  in  greater  jeopardy  this  time 
than  we  had  ever  been  before."  Cortes  sent  them  an  offer  of  peace 
next  morning,  to  which  the  young  general,  Xicotencatl,  answered 
that  they  would  make  peace  after  they  had  satiated  themselves  with 
the  flesh  of  the  Spaniards,  and  honoured  the  gods  with  the  sacrifice 
of  their  blood  and  hearts. 

Xicotencatl,  on  the  fifth  of  September,  fought  a  second  battle  with 
the  Spaniards,  equally  severe  with  the  first,  and  on  the  night  of  the 
succeeding  day,  a  third  attack  was  made.  There  was  not  one  of 
die  Spaniards  who  had  not  by  this  time  received  one  or  more  wounds. 


TREATY    WITH   THE    TLASCALANS.  91 

Some  of  their  number,  and  one  of  their  horses  had  been  slain.  But 
the, muskets  and  artillery  of  the  Spaniards  had  been  dreadfully  de 
structive,  and  the  rulers  of  the  Tlascalans  felt  disposed  to  accept  the 
peace  which  Cortes  had  so  constantly  offered. 

They  came  to  this  resolution  at  a  fortunate  time  for  Cortes,  whose 
soldiers  were  exceedingly  mutinous,  charging  him  with  causing  their 
destruction  by  his  rash  course  in  regard  to  the  ships,  and  demanding 
to  be  led  back  to  Vera  Cruz.  Cortes  and  Father  Olmedo  were  them 
selves  suffering  with  fever,  yet  neither  the  chief  nor  his  men  durst 
lay  aside  their  arms  for  a  m.oment.  The  most  zealous  of  the  followers 
of  the  conqueror  could  not  refrain  from  thinking  "  what  would  be  the 
final  issue  of  this  campaign,  and  if  they  once  got  out  of  the  present 
snare,  where  they  were  next  to  bend  their  steps ;  for  the  idea  of 
penetrating  to  Mexico  appeared  to  them  perfectly  absurd,  when  they 
considered  the  great  power  of  that  state.  If  even  they  succeeded  in 
making  the  same  good  terms  with  the  people  of  Tlascala  as  they  had 
done  with  the  Cempoallans,  what  would  become  of  them  if  they  ever 
came  to  an  engagement  with  the  great  armies  of  Montezuma."* 
Corte^  replied  to  their  statements,  that  what  had  been  done  had 
been  done  for  the  best,  and  that  retreat  in  their  present  circumstances 
would  be  certain  death.  On  a  renewal  of  their  remonstrances,  he 
put  an  end  to  the  cabals  by  the  heroic  answer,  that  in  any  event,  it 
was  better  to  die  like  a  brave  warrior,  than  to  live  a  coward 

TREATY  with  the  Tlascalans  was  readily 
concluded,  and  on  the  23d  of  September 
they  entered  their  chief  city,  a  large  and 
populous  town,  compared  by  Cortes  to 
Grenada,-  in  Spain.  The  Tlascalans 
bound  themselves  to  be  vassals  of  the 
f  king  of  Spain,  and  to  assist  Cortes  in  his 
expedition,  while  he  engaged  to  defend 
their  persons  and  property,  and  took  their 
state  under  his  protection.  While  the 
negotiations  were  pending,  a  communica 
tion  was  received  from  Montezuma  himself,  who  entreated  Cortes  to 
put  no  faith  in  the  Tlascalans,  who  were  treacherous  barbarians,  and 
invited  him  in  cordial  terms  to  visit  his  capital,  pointing  out  the  road 
through  the  city  of'  Cholula  as  the  most  convenient.  Cortes  made 
many  efforts  to  gain  the  good  will  of  the  Tlascalan  chiefs,  and  suc 
ceeded  to  a  great  extent,  a  result  to  be  attributed  to  the  prudence  of 
Father  Olmedo,  who  persuaded  him  in  their  case  to  leave  them  their 
idols  and  superstition,  only  prohibiting  human  sacrifices.  As  soon 

*  Bernal  Diaz,  chapter  66. 


CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 


Massacre  at  Cholula. 

as  his  men  had  rested  somewhat  from  their  fatigue,  he  set  out  for 
Mexico,  accompanied  by  six  thousand  Tlascalan  warriors,  who 
earnestly  dissuaded  him  from  the  attempt,  but  proved  the  sincerity 
of  their  advice  by  their  subsequent  devotion.  Their  approach  gave 
Montezuma  great  alarm,  and  he  set  on  foot  a  scheme  for  massacring 
them  in  the  city  of  Cholula.  Tlascalan  vigilance  discovered  the 
plan,  however,  and  Cortes  took  a  terrible  vengeance  on  the  holy 
city.  By  a  stratagem  of  his  own,  he  seized  on  the  persons  of  the 
magistrates  and  chief  citizens,  and  then  ordered  the  whole  of  his  fol 
lowers,  Spaniards,  Tlascalans,  and  Cempoallans  to  fall  upon  the  dis 
organized  people.  The  massacre  lasted  two  days.  A  number  of 
the  priests  and  leading  citizens  shut  themselves  up  in  their  temples. 
The  torch  was  brought,  and  the  buildings,  the  garrisons,  and  the 
gods  perished  together.  At  length  Cortes  released  and  forgave  the 
magistrates,  telling  them  of  their  intended  treachery,  requiring  them 
to  recall  the  fugitive  people,  and  establish  order  in  the  town. 

From  Cholula  he  advanced  directly  towards  the  capital  of  Monte 
zuma,  who  behaved  at  this  juncture  in  a  most  unworthy  manner.  He 
sent  ambassadors  to  Cortes  with  overtures  of  reconciliation,  promising 
him  an  immense  quantity  of  gold  if  he  would  advance  no  further. 
Cortes,  of  course,  refused,  and  continued  a  march,  which,  toilsome 


ADVANCE    OFCORTES    TO    THE    CAPITAL.          93 


Cortes  advancing  to  the  City  of  Mexico. 

and  bitterly  cold,  was  amply  rewarded  by  the  sight,  which  burst  sud 
denly  upon  them,  of  the  valley  of  Mexico.  We  quote  the  eloquent 
account  of  Mr.  Prescott.  "  Turning  an  angle  of  the  sierra,  they 
came  suddenly  upon  a  view  which  more  than  compensated  their  toils. 
It  was  that  of  the  valley  of  Mexico,  which  with  its  picturesque  as 
semblage  of  water,  woodland,  and  cultivated  plains,  its  shining  cities 
and  shadowy  hills,  was  spread  out  like  some  gay  and  gorgeous  pano 
rama  before  them.  Stretching  far  away  at  their  feet  were  seen  noble 
forests  of  oak,  sycamore,  and  cedar;  and  beyond  yellow  fields  of 
maize,  and  the  towering  maguey,  intermingled  with  orchards  and 
blooming  gardens.  In  the  centre  of  the  great  basin  were  beheld  the 
lakes,  their  borders  thickly  studded  with  towns  and  hamlets ;  and  in 
the  midst,  like  some  Indian  empress  with  her  coronal  of  pearls,  the 
fair  city  of  Mexico,  with  her  white  towers  and  pyramidal  temples, 
reposing,  as  it  were,  on  the  bosom  of  the  waters — the  far  famed 
'  Venice  of  the  Aztecs.'  "* 

From  this  time,  all  that  they  saw  in  their  journey  until  their 
entry  into  Mexico,  seemed  to  the  Spaniards  like  fairy  land.  Monte- 
zuma  had  suffered  the  strangers  to  advance  almost  to  the  gates  of  the 
capital  before  he  had  determined  whether  to  receive,  them  as  friends 
or  enemies.  At  length,  however,  he  sent  his  nephew,  Cacama,  with  a 
train  of  nobles  to  escort  him  to  the  city.  Following  his  direction, 

*  Conquest  of  Mexico,  vol.  ii.  47. 


94  CONQUEST   BY    CORTES, 


Montezuma. 

the  Spaniards  marched  along  the  margin  of  the  Lake  Xochichalco  to 
the  royal  city  of  Iztapalapan,  where  they  spent  the  night  in  most  ex 
cellent  quarters.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  November,  1519, 
they  marched  along  the  causeway  towards  the  capital.  They  trem 
bled  when  they  saw  that  the  causeways  were  intersected  at  intervals 
by  drawbridges  through  which  canoes  passed  and  repassed,  for  they 
saw  that  their  retreat  could  at  any  time  be  cut  off  by  this  means, 
and  they  had  had  abundant  evidence  of  the  emperor's  dislike  for 
them,  and  of  the  hollowness  of  his  present  professions  of  friendship. 
Cortes  marched  first  with  his  small  body  of  horse ;  next  came  the 
Spanish  foot,  about  four  hundred  in  number,  after  them  the  Indian 
tamenes  carrying  the  baggage,  and  last  of  all  the  Tlascalan  warriors, 
in  number  about  five  thousand.  The  inhabitants  crowded  from  the 
city  to  look  at  them  as  they  came  along  the  causeway,  and  as  they 
came  near  to  the  city  they  were  met  by  the  emperor  himself,  accom 
panied  by  an  immense  train  of  nobles,  who  demeaned  themselves  in 
his  presence  as  though  he  were  a  deity.  At  length  Cortes  and  the 
emperor  stood  face  to  face.  The  Spanish  chieftain  accosted  him  in 
the  fashion  of  Europe,  with  the  most  profound  reverence.  Monte 
zuma  returned  the  salutation  by  touching  the  earth  with  his  hand  and 
kissing  it,  the  customary  expression  of  reverence  from  inferiors  to 
those  who  are  above  them  in  rank,  and  which  when  used  by  the 
emperor  to  the  Spaniards,  elevated  the  latter  in  the  minds  of  the 
wondering  Aztecs  to  a  position  only  inferior  to  that  occupied  by 
Iheir  gods. 

After  the  exchange  of  presents,  Montezuma  and  his  attendants 


MEXICAN   IDOLS.  95 

withdrew,  the  Spaniards  following  them  into  the  city,  where  they 
were  conducted  to  their  quarters,  situated  in  an  immense  square  in 
the  centre  of  the  city,  adjoining  the  temple  of  the  great  Mexican  war 
god.  Montezuma  was  waiting  to  receive  them,  and  he  supplied 
their  wants  with  his  characteristic  profusion.  Next  day  Cortes  visited 
him  in  his  palace,  attended  by  some  of  his  principal  officers,  and  in 
the  course  of  the  conversation  which  ensued,  expounded  to  him  some 
of  the  tenets  of  his  religion,  at  which  the  emperor  seemed  displeased, 
but  replied  courteously.  The  intercourse  was  maintained  day  after 
day,  and  the  soldiers  and  citizens  began  to  grow  familiar  with  each 
other.  The  emperor  escorted  Cortes  through  the  city,  showing  to 
him  the  market-place,  the  public  buildings,  and  the  temple.  At  the 
request  of  Cortes,  though  with  great  reluctance,  Montezuma  led  them 
into  the  very  sanctuary  or  tower  where  the  gods  were.  "  Here," 
says  Bernal  Diaz,  "  were  two  altars,  highly  adorned  with  richly 
wrought  timbers  on  the  roof,  and  over  the  altars  gigantic  figures  re 
sembling  very  fat  men.  The  one  on  the  right  was  their  war  god, 
with  a  great  face  and  terrible  eyes.  This  figure  was  entirely  covered 
with  gold  and  jewels,  and  his  body  bound  with  golden  serpents;  in 
his  right  hand  he  held  a  bow,  and  in  his  left  a  bundle  of  arrows.  Be 
fore  the  idol  was  a  pan  of  incense,  with  three  hearts  of  human  vic 
tims,  which  were  burning,  mixed  with  copal.  The  whole  of  that 
apartment,  both  walls  and  floor,  was  stained  with  human  blood  in 
such  quantity  as  to  cause  a  very  offensive  smell.  On  the  left  was  the 
other  great  figure,  with  a  countenance  like  a  bear,  and  great  shining 
eyes  of  the  polished  substance  whereof  their  mirrors  are  made.  The 
body  of  this  idol  was  also  covered  with  jewels.  An  offering  lay  be 
fore  him  of  five  human  hearts.  In  this  place  was  a  drum  of  most 
enormous  size,  the  head  of  which  was  made  of  the  skins  of  large  ser 
pents.  This  instrument,  when  struck,  resounded  with  a  noise  that 
could  be  heard  at  the  distance  of  two  leagues,  and  so  doleful  that  it 
deserved  to  be  named  the  music  of  the  infernal  regions." 

The  first  of  the  deities  here  described  was  Huitzilopochtli,  the  war 
god.  Of  the  other,  Tezcatlipoca,  who  was  only  inferior  to  the  invisi 
ble  supreme  god,  and  who  created  the  world,  Diaz  makes  this  singu 
lar  statement :  "  He  was  the  god  of  hell,  and  the  souls  of  deceased 
Mexicans  stood  under  him." 

This  horrible  scene  filled  the  pious  mind  of  Cortes  with  horror,  and 
he  could  not  refrain  from  remonstrating  with  the  emperor  upon  the 
subject.  "  I  cannot  imagine  that  such  a  powerful  and  wise  monarch 
as  you  are.  should  not  have  yourself  discovered  by  this  time,  that 
these  idols  are  not  divinities,  but  evil  spirits,  called  devils.  In  order 
that  you  may  be  convinced  of  this,  and  that  your  papas  may  satisfy 


96  CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 

themselves  of  this  truth,  allow  me  to  erect  a  cross  on  the  summit  of 
this  temple ;  and  in  the  chapel  where  stand  your  Huitzilopochtli  and 
Tezcatlipoca,  give  us  a  small  space  that  I  may  place  there  the  image 
of  the  holy  Virgin  ;  then  you  will  see  what  terror  will  seize  these  idols 
by  which  you  have  been  so  long  deluded." 

ONTEZUMA  knew  what  the  image  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  was ;  yet  he  was  very  much 
displeased  with  Cortes's  offer,  and  replied 
in  the  presence  of  two  papas,  whose  anger 
was  not  less  conspicuous,  "  Malinche,  could 
I  have  conjectured  that  you  would  have 
used  such  reviling  language  as  you  have 
just  done,  I  would  certainly  not  have  shown  you  my  gods.  In  our 
eyes  these  are  good  divinities :  they  preserve  our  lives,  give  us 
nourishment,  water,  and  good  harvests ;  healthy  and  growing  wea 
ther,  and  victory  whenever  we  pray  to  them  for  it.  Therefore  we 
offer  up  our  prayers  to  them,  and  make  them  sacrifices.  I  earnestly 
beg  of  you  not  to  say  another  word  to  insult  the  profound  veneration 
in  which  we  hold  these  gods." 

As  soon  as  Cortes  heard  these  words,  and  perceived  the  great  ex 
citement  under  which  they  were  pronounced,  he  said  nothing  in 
return,  but  merely  remarked  to  the  monarch  with  a  cheerful  smile, 
;c  It  is  time  for  us  both  to  depart  hence."  To  which  Montezuma  an 
swered,  that  "  he  would  not  detain  him  any  longer,  but  he  himself 
was  now  obliged  to  stay  some  time  to  atone  to  his  gods,  by  prayer 
and  sacrifice,  for  having  committed  gratlatlacol,  by  allowing  us  to 
ascend  the  great  temple,  and  thereby  occasioning  the  affronts  which 
we  had  offered  them.  "  If  that  is  the  case,"  returned  Cortes,  "  I  beg 
your  pardon,  great  monarch."* 

The  Spaniards  now  descended  from  the  temple,  and  on  the  follow 
ing  day  Cortes  ventured  to  request  of  the  emperor  permission  to  con 
vert  one  of  the  halls  in  their  residence  into  a  chapel,  that  they  might 
celebrate  the  services  of  their  church  there.  .  The  forgiving  monarch 
not  only  granted  the  request,  but  sent  some  of  his  own  artisans  to  aid 
them  in  the  work.  In  making  the  necessary  alterations,  the  Spaniards 
had  sufficient  curiosity  to  take  away  the  plaster  from  a  recently  closed 
up  door,  to  see  what  was  beyond,  and  they  had  thus  disclosed  to  them 
the  place  in  which  the  emperor  kept  the  treasures  he  had  inherited 
from  his  father,  a  private  hoard,  the  value  of  which  made  those  who 
first  looked  on  it  "almost  speechless  with  astonishment."  "As  at 
that  time  I  was  still  a  young  man,"  says  Diaz,  "  and  had  never  be- 

*   Bernal  Diuz,  chapter  92. 


PROJECT   TO    SEIZE    MONTEZUMA.  97 

fore  beheld  such  vast  treasures,  I  concluded  that  the  whole  of  the  re 
maining  part  of  the  world  put  together,  could  not  produce  such  a  vast 
collection  of  riches.  However,  all  our  officers  and  soldiers  agreed  to 
leave  every  thing  untouched,  and  that  the  doorway  should  be  walled 
up  again  as  before,  nor  was  Montezuma  to  be  informed  of  our  dis 
covery." 

A  week  had  passed  since  the  Spaniards  had  entered  the  capital ; 
and  though  they  had  as  yet  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  had  been  treated,  they  felt  ill  at  ease.  Their  allies,  the 
Tlascalans,  were  hourly  suggesting  the  disadvantages  of  their  situa 
tion,  and  looking  at  every  movement  of  the  Mexicans  with  the  sus 
picion  of  enemies.  The  supply  of  food  furnished  for  their  tables  was 
not  so  good  as  at  first,  and  the  least  of  a  hundred  circumstances  might 
furnish  a  cause  for  their  destruction.  Besides,  Cortes  was  not  in  the 
way  to  complete  the  conquest  of  the  kingdom  while  he  lay  inactive 
as  the  guest  of  the  king ;  and  the  latter  could  not  be  expected  to  con 
tinue  friendly  intercourse  with  him  if  he  supposed  that  there  was  no 
intention  on  his  part  of  departing.  While  the  conquest  was  but  just 
begun,  the  arrival  of  a  successor  from  Spain,  might  rob  him  of  the 
fruit  of  all  his  labour  and  sufferings,  and  another  secure  imperishable 
renown  by  marching  past  him  on  the  road  he  himself  had  pointed  out. 
This  would  also  be  one  of  the  consequences  of  a  retreat.  Nor  could 
he  withdraw  from  the  capital  to  Villa  Rica,  with  any  hope  of  safety, 
from  the  hands  of  what  he  had  found  to  be  a  merciless  and  treacherous 
foe.  View  it  as  he  might,  his  situation  was  full  of  danger,  and  prompt 
and  successful  action  only  could  save  him  from  ruin.  But  Cortes  was 
never  so  much  at  home  as  when  acting  in  the  most  fearful  extremity. 
His  active  mind  contrived  a  plan  for  his  deliverance  as  bold  as  it  was 
desperate.  This  was  to  get  possession  of  the  person  of  the  emperor, 
and  make  the  regard  of  his  subjects  for  his  safety,  a  guarantee  for  the 
security  of  the  Spaniards  against  violence,  while  they  used  him  as  a 
tool  for  effecting  the  final  success  of  their  enterprise.  Cortes  imme 
diately  proposed  the  measure  to  his  officers,  of  whom  the  most  intel 
ligent  and  resolute  so  warmly  approved  of  it,  that  the  timid  were 
brought  to  give  their  consent,  and  it  was  resolved  to  carry  it  into  exe 
cution  on  the  morrow.  The  intervening  night  was  spent  by  the  pious 
Father  Olmedo  in  soliciting  the  favour  of  heaven  for  this  great  en 
terprise. 

A  pretext  was  readily  found  to  justify  the  act.  Cortes  had  received 
intelligence  of  a  battle  that  had  been  fought  between  some  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  garrison  of  Villa  Rica,  and  an  army  of  Mexicans 
under  the  governor  of  a  province  adjacent  to  the  Spanish  settlement, 
and  although  Cortes  really  cared  little  for  this  occurrence,  it  served 
I  13 


98  CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 

an  admirable  purpose  in  the  work  he  had  resolved  upon.  He  pro 
ceeded  in  the  morning  with  five  of  his  officers,  and  the  two  inter 
preters,  Donna  Marina  and  Aguilar,  to  the  palace  of  the  emperor, 
taking  care  to  observe  the  forms  they  had  hitherto  used  when  de 
sirous  of  an  audience.  Others  of  his  soldiers  were  to  come  in  small 
parties  to  the  palace  prepared  for  any  emergency.  Montezuma  re 
ceived  them  kindly,  but  when  Cortes  upbraided  him  with  causing 
the  attack  that  had  been  made  upon  the  garrison  at  Vera  Cruz,  as 
well  as  with  the  attempt  to  destroy  him  and  his  army  at  Cholula,  and 
informed  him  that  he  had  now  come  to  make  him  a  prisoner,  he  gave 
free  vent  to  his  rage  and  astonishment.  His  rage  was  impotent 
against  the  stern  resolution  of  the  Spaniard,  and  as  he  turned  from 
one  to  another  of  the  pitiless  faces  of  the  warriors,  whose  fingers 
ever  and  anon  clutched  the  hilts  of  their  swords,  he  was  seized  with 
a  fit  of  terror  and  trembling,  and  burst  into  tears.  Without  resist 
ance,  he  caused  himself  to  be  borne  in  a  litter  to  the  residence  of  the 
Spaniards,  publishing  to  his  nobles  and  subjects  that  he  went  on  a 
visit  to  Cortes,  voluntarily,  and  desiring  them  to  remain  quiet. 
.  At  the  demand  of  Cortes,  the  governor  who  had  made  the  attack 
on  Villa  Rica,  was  sent  for  with  three  of  his  principal  officers,  and 
they  were  tried  for  the  offence  and  sentenced  to  death.  When  they 
found  they  were  to  die,  they  boldly  laid  the  blame  of  the  transaction 
upon  Montezuma,  whom  Cortes  therefore  kept  in  irons  while  the 
execution  was  performed.  By  a  master-stroke  of  policy  the  victims 
were  burned  alive,  and  the  materials  used  for  their  funeral  pile  and 
used  in  excessive  quantities,  were  arrows,  javelins,  and  other  weapons 
drawn  by  the  emperor's  permission  from  the  arsenals  of  the  city, 
where  they  had  been  stored  to  supply  means  of  defence  in  times  of 
civic  tumult  and  insurrection. 

All  this  had  taken  place  within  ten  days  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards  in  the  city,  and  for  more  than  three  months  the  emperor 
was  kept  a  prisoner  in  the  Spanish  quarters.  Here  he  was  treated 
with  the  greatest  show  of  respect,  Cortes  never  allowing  him  to  suf-r 
fer  the  least  indignity  except  from  himself.  Whenever  he  approached 
him  he  doffed  his  casque,  and  one  of  his  soldiers  who  had  treatdfcl 
him  unkindly  was  only  saved  from  death  by  the  earnest  entreaty  of 
the  captive  sovereign  himself.  The  kindly  demeanour  of  Monte 
zuma,  his  gentleness,  and  more  than  all,  his  excessive  liberality,  to  all 
those  about  him,  won  the  hearts  of  all  the  soldiers,  and  made  him  a 
general  favourite.  He  made  not  the  slightest  attempt  to  regain  his 
liberty,  but  aided  Cortes  in  seizing,  by  strategy,  the  persons  of  the 
king  of  Tezcuco,  and  other  princes  of  the  realm,  who  had  entered 
into  i  conspiracy  to  free  their  country  and  the  emperor  from  the 


SUPREMACY  OF  SPAIN  ACKNOWLEDGED.    99 

foreign  yoke.    Cortez  punished  their  "  rebellion,"  by  confining  them 
in  irons. 

HE  Spaniards  did  every  thing  in  their  power  to 
render  his  confinement  easy  to  himself,  and 
were  particularly  careful  that  nothing  of  the 
ceremonies  and  etiquette  formerly  observed 
by  his  subjects  towards  him  should  be  omitted. 
Outside  of  his  own  palace  his  will  was  abso 
lute  law.  He  was  allowed  to  go  into  the  tem 
ple,  escorted  by  a  guard  of  Spaniards,  and  offi 
ciate  as  of  old  at  the  shrine  of  his  gods,  his  faith  in  whose  divinity 
could  not  be  shaken  by  all  the  logic  of  both  the  pious  Christian 
fathers.  He  listened  with  deference,  it  is  true,  but  the  conferences 
on  the  subject  always  ended  with  his  declaration  that  "  the  God  of 
the  Christians  was  good,  but  the  gods  of  his  own  country  were  the  true 
gods  for  him."  The  Spanish  general  had  caused  two  vessels  to  be 
built  of  sufficient  size  to  transport  his  whole  army  across  the  lake, 
and  when  these  were  finished,  he  delighted  Montezuma  and  his  suite 
by  taking  them  on  a  pleasure  excursion  to  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
lake,  where  the  captive  king  was  allowed  to  hunt  in  the  royal  park, 
as  he  had  been  wont  to  do  in  happier  days. 

At  one  of  their  first  interviews,  Montezuma  had  offered  to  Cortes 
to  acknowledge  formally  the  supremacy  of  the  Spanish  emperor,  and 
he  was  now  called  upon  to  make  such  an  acknowledgment.  He 
made  no  objections,  but  assembling  all  his  nobles,  he  addressed  them 
in  a  very  affecting  speech,  desiring  them  to  concur  in  the  surrender 
of  the  empire  to  the  Spaniards,  who,  he  said,  were  the  race  which 
the  great  Quetezalcoatl  had  predicted  would  come  from  the  rising 
sun  to  possess  the  land.  "  You  have  been  faithful  vassals  of  mine," 
said  he,  "  during  the  many  years  that  I  have  sat  on  the  throne  of  my 
fathers.  I  now  expect  that  you  will  show  me  this  last  act  of  obe 
dience  by  acknowledging  the  great  king  beyond  the  waters  to  be 
your  lord,  also,  and  that  you  will  pay  him  tribute  in  the  same  man 
ner  as  you  have  hitherto  done  to  me."  His  nobles  were  greatly  as- 
stonished,  as  well  as  deeply  moved  at  his  address,  and  the  tears 
which  coursed  down  his  cheeks  during  the  interview  forced  their 
sympathy  and  obedience.  The  emperor  and  all  his  nobles  then 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Castilian  throne,  and,  though  "  it  was 
in  the  regular  way  of  their  own  business,"  to  quote  an  old  chroni 
cler,  "  there  was  not  a  Spaniard  who  could  look  on  the  spectacle 
with  a  dry  eye."* 

*  Prescott,  vol.  ii.  p.  198 


100  CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 

Montezuma  accompanied  the  surrender  of  his  kingdom  with  the 
gift  of  an  immense  treasure,  comprising,  besides  the  hoard  which 
the  Spaniards  had  discovered,  a  considerable  amount  collected  from 
the  tributaries  of  his  empire.  He  desired  it  to  be  sent  to  Spain  as 
tribute  money  to  King  Charles  from  his  vassal  Montezuma.  The 
Spanish  soldiers,  however,  regarded  it  as  part  of  the  fruits  of  their 
toils  and  clamoured  for  its  division.  Cortes  yielded  to  their  desire, 
and  the  treasure  which  amounted  in  value  to  about  six  millions  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  according  to  Prescott's  calculation,  was 
divided  after  his  manner.  The  king's  fifth  part  was  first  set  aside ; 
a  fifth  of  the  remainder  was  assigned  to  Cortes ;  after  that  the  debts 
of  the  expedition  were  to  be  discharged,  including  the  investments 
of  Velasquez,  and  the  expenses  of  the  embassy  to  Spain,  the  losses 
of  the  expedition  were  then  to  be  made  good,  and  finally,  certain 
individuals  in  the  army,  as  the  priests,  officers,  &c.,  were  to  receive 
larger  allowances  than  the  rest.  By  these  drafts,  each  soldier's  share 
was  reduced  to  about  fourteen  hundred  dollars.  Many  of  the  soldiers 
thought  this  amount  so  small,  in  comparison  with  their  expectations, 
that  they  refused  to  accept  it,  and  others  speedily  got  to  the  end  of 
their  share  by  gaming  with  cards  made  out  of  the  heads  of  drums. 
Nearly  all,  however,  complained  of  injustice  in  the  division,  and  it 
required  all  the  ability  of  Cortes  to  prevent  disastrous  consequences. 

Cortes  next  demanded  of  Montezuma  that  a  portion  of  the  great 
temple  of  the  gods  should  be  given  up  to  him  to  be  converted  into 
a  temple  for  the  worship  of  the  true  God.  Montezuma  gave  his 
consent,  for  he  could  do  no  otherwise,  and  one  of  the  sanctuaries  on 
the  top  of  the  temple  was  purified,  and  an  altar  and  a  crucifix  erected 
in  it.  The  people  scarcely  needed  the  instigation  of  the  priests  to 
rouse  them  to  desperation  at  this  proceeding.  To  have  their  em 
peror  a  prisoner,  to  give  up  their  kingdom  and  their  treasures,  these 
were  galling ;  but  to  sit  tamely  under  such  an  insult  to  their  gods, 
was  too  much  to  ask  of  them.  The  priests,  with  haggard  faces,  ran 
through  the  streets  covered  with  blood,  denouncing  wo  to  the  people 
unless  the  sacrilegious  strangers  were  expelled.  Montezuma  informed 
Cortes  of  this  state  of  feeling,  and  warned  him  that  he  and  his  men- 
would  be  made  a  sacrifice  to  the  offended  deities  unless  they  left  the 
country.  Already  the  Spanish  quarters  were  in  a  state  of  siege,  when,, 
in  May,  1520,  six  months  after  his  arrival  in  the  capital,  Cortes 
received  tidings  from  the  coast  which  gave  him  greater  alarm  than 
even  the  dangers  which  surrounded  him. 

A  second  expedition  had  been  fitted  out  by  Velasquez,  and  in 
trusted  to  the  command  of  Don  Pamfilo  de  Narvaez,  who  was  to  pro 
ceed  immediately  to  Mexico,  depose  or  decapitate  Cortes,  and  seize 


DEFEAT   OF    NARVAEZ. 


101 


the  country  for  the  Spanish  sovereign,  in  the  name  of  the  governor 
of  Cuba.  The  fleet  consisted  of  nineteen  vessels,  carrying  upwards 
of  a  thousand  foot  soldiers,  twenty  cannons,  eighty  horsemen,  a  hun 
dred  and  sixty  musketeers  and  crossbowmen,  besides  a  thousand 
Indian  servants.  This  fleet  anchored  off  the  coast  of  Mexico,  at  San 
.Juan  de  Ulloa,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1520.  Here  Narvaez  received 
the  astonishing  information  that  Cortes  was  in  possession  of  the 
Mexican  capital,  that  the  emperor  was  his  prisoner,  that  he  had  re 
ceived  the  surrender  of  the  country  and  its  treasure  in  the  name  of 
the  Spanish  sovereign,  who  was  not  so  absolute  in  Europe  as  Cor 
tes  was  in  Mexico.  Narvaez  thereupon  announced  to  the  Indians 
his  intention  of  setting  Montezuma  free,  declaring  that  he  was  come 
to  chastise  Cortes  who  was  a  rebel  against  his  sovereign. 

HE  city  of  Villa  Rica  was 
first  summoned  to  surren 
der,  but  Gonsalvo  de  San- 
doval,  the  young  officer 
who  had  been  sent  by  Cor 
tes  to  watch  over  that  town 
and  his  interests  after  the 
death  of  Juan  de  Escalante, 
caused  the  messengers  of 
Narvaez  to  be  seized,  strapped  them  to  the  backs  of  Indian  porters, 
and  sent  them  across  the  country  to  Cortes,  in  charge  of  a  couple 
of  soldiers  who  carried  a  letter  informing  the  general  of  what  had 
happened.  Cortes,  after  thoroughly  gaming  these  messengers  over 
to  his  interests  by  kind  words  and  presents,  sent  them  back  again 
to  sow  dissensions  in  the  ranks  of  his  rival. 

He  also  commenced  a  correspondence  with  Narvaez,  which  was 
continued  without  any  definite  result  until  within  a  day  or  two  of  the 
settlement  of  the  difference  by  arms.  For  Cortes,  knowing  that  on 
the  decision  and  celerity  of  his  actions  depended  his  only  hope  of 
safety,  left  Pedro  de  Alvarado  in  command  of  a  garrison  of  one  hun 
dred  and  forty  men,  in  Mexico,  and  marched  with  the  remainder,  less 
than  two  hundred  in  number,  to  the  Totonac  country,  where  Sandoval 
joined  him  with  the  little  garrison  of  Villa  Rica,  and  thence  to  the 
quarters  of  Narvaez  in  Cempoalla.  Here  a  battle  was  fought  on  the 
night  of  the  twenty-sixth  of  May,  1520,  between  the  heroic  little  band 
of  the  conqueror,  and  the  numerous,  well  appointed,  but  half  asleep 
army  of  Narvaez,  who  was  very  quickly  defeated,  being  made  pri 
soner  himself,  with  the  loss  of  one  eye.  All  his  troops  swore  alle 
giance  to  Cortes,  but  when  daylight  disclosed  the  numbers  and 
ragged  condition  of  their  conquerors,  they  were  nearly  mad  with 
i2 


JO2 


CONQUEST    BY    CORTES. 


\ 


The  Defeat  of  Narvaez. 

,  » 

shame  and  vexation.  However,  they  were  little  disposed  to  hear 
the  terrible  war  cry  of  Cortes  ring  again  in  their  ears,  in  opposition 
to  themselves,  and  he  soon  attached  them  to  himself  by  his  honeyed 
words,  and  by  gifts  so  liberally  bestowed  that  his  old  soldiers  began 
to  grow  jealous.  He  had  thus  increased  his  own  force  sixfold  ;  he 
had  thirteen  hundred  men  under  his  command  out  of  the  city  of 
Mexico,  one  hundred  of  whom  were  cavalry,  and  with  such  a  force, 
what  might  he  not  achieve  ? 

He  was  roused  from  his  pleasant  anticipations  by  intelligence  from 
Alvarado  that  the  Mexicans  had  risen  en  masse,  and  were  besieging 
him  and  his  followers  with  a  prospect  of  success.  This  had  been 
brought  about  by  the  imprudent  policy  of  Alvarado,  who  had,  under 
the  influence  of  the  fear  of  a  revolt,  or  in  a  wanton  spirit  of  cruelty, 
put  to  the  sword  five  hundred  of  the  elite  of  the  city,  as  they  were 
celebrating  a  festival  within  their  great  temple.  The  people  had 
rushed  immediately  to  arms,  and  were  on  the  point  of  carrying  the 
palace  of  the  Spaniards  by  assault,  when  Montezuma's  person  was 
exposed  to  them,  and  they  abstained  from  actual  battle  to  besiege 
the  fortress,  hoping  that  famine  would  soon  force  a  surrender.  This 


BATTLE    WITH   THE    AZTECS. 


103 


was  the  state  of  things  when  Cortes  arrived  at  the  city,  at  the  head 
of  his  new  army,  all  of  whom,  says  an  old  historian,  had  sworn  to 
follow  him  with  a  readiness  they  would  have  been  very  far  from 
evincing,  had  they  known  what  they  were  to  encounter.  They 
reached  the  great  lake  on  the  24th  of  June,  and  marched  along  the 
great  causeway  into  the  city,  without  opposition,  but  amid  a  silence 
that  was  ominous.  They  reached  their  stronghold,  and  the  reunion 
was  most  joyful.  But  Cortes  was  mad  with  vexation  when  he  learned 
the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  and  though  he  sharply  rebuked  Alvarado 
for  his  imprudence,  he  could  effect  nothing  by  punishing 'him,  and  he 
vented  his  ill  humour  on  the  unfortunate  Montezuma.  The  faithful 
prince  felt  his  unkindness  to  such  a  degree  that  he  would  hold  no 
intercourse  with  him,  yet  he  complied,  as  far  as  in  his  power,  in  try 
ing  to  check  the  tumult,  and  procure  provisions  for  the  army. 

HEIR  efforts  were  unsuccessful.  The  day 
after  the  arrival  of  Cortes,  a  soldier 
whom  he  had  despatched  on  an 
errand,  returned  to  his  quarters 
breathless,  and  covered  with  blood 
from  wounds  inflicted  on  him  by  the 
Mexicans,  who,  he  said,  were  all  in 
arms,  with  the  drawbridges  broken 
down,  and  every  preparation  made 

for  an  assault  on  the  Spaniards  in  their  stronghold.  He  himself  had 
narrowly  escaped  being  dragged  away  in  a  canoe  for  sacrifice.  A 
struggle  now  commenced  which  lasted  several  days.  The  despera 
tion  with  which  the  Aztecs  fought  convinced  Cortes  how  much  he 
had  hitherto  undervalued  them,  as  they  openly  announced  their  opi 
nion  that  they  must  fight  on  under  defeat  until  the  last  Spaniard  was 
slain,  satisfied  if  with  a  thousand  lives  they  paid  for  the  death  of  but 
one  of  their  detested  enemies.  Day  after  day  the  fighting  was  re 
newed,  the  Spaniards  being  always  victorious,  but  daily  losing  some 
of  their  number.  Either  they  would  sally  out  upon  the  multitude  and 
cut  them  down  in  battle,  or  else  drive  them  back  when  they  advanced 
to  storm  and  burn  their  works.  The  enemy  poured  along  the  streets 
like  a  flood,  while  every  terrace  in  the  vicinity  was  crowded  with  ex 
pert  archers  and  slingers,  ready  to  shower  arrows  and  stones  upon 
any  one  of  the  garrison  that  left  his  defences  for  an  instant.  The 
soldiers  of  Narvaez  were  sadly  disappointed  in  their  reception«in  the 
city,  and  began  to  reproach  Cortes  with  bringing  them  into  destruc 
tion,  yet  their  murmurs  were  changed  to  shouts  of  admiration  and 
love  when  they  saw  him  spur  his  horse  into  the  thickest  of  a  crowd 
of  Aztecs,  to  rescue  a  dying  comrade  from  their  hands. 


104 


CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 


Cuitlahua. 


MONTEZUMA'S  brother,  Cuitlahua, 
had  been  arrested  on  suspicion  of  being 
concerned  in  the  rebellion  of  Cacama. 
He  was  released  by  Cortes  soon  after 
his  arrival  in  Mexico,  in  the  hope  that 
he  could  allay  the  present  tumult,  and 
bring  the  people  to  a  more  friendly  state 
of  feeling.  But  he  had  never  forgiven 
the  injuries  he  had  received  from  the 
Spaniards,  and  he  made  use  of  his 
liberty  to  take  the  place  of  Montezuma 
during  his  captivity,  and  the  well-di 
rected  movements  of  the  besiegers  were 
owing  to  his  superior  ability  in  organ 
izing  the  forces.  Foiled  in  this  hope, 
•|  Cortes  now  turned  his  thoughts  to  the 
emperor  himself,  and  resolved  to  play 
off  his  authority  against  that  of  Cuitla 
hua.  He  sent  to  request  his  interposition  with  his  subjects  in  behalf 
of  the  garrison,  but  the  emperor,  whose  feelings  had  been  alienated 
by  the  treatment  he  had  lately  experienced  from  Cortes,  and  who  felt 
bitterly  the  shame  of  his  situation  as  the  ally  of  his  people's  enemies, 
refused  compliance.  At  the  further  solicitation  of  Olid  and  Father 
Olmedo,  and  the  promise  that,  if  a  way  were  opened  for  them,  the 
Spaniards  would  depart,  he  consented  to  expostulate  with  his  sub 
jects,  more  in  the  hope  of  sparing  their  lives  than  from  regard  to  the 
Spaniards. 

Attired  in  his  royal  robes,  and  attended  in  state  by  several  of  the 
Aztec  nobility,  and  the  Spaniards,  he  ascended  the  central  turret  of 
the  palace,  and  the  tumult  and  strife  hushed  at  his  presence  as  if  by 
magic.  He  felt  his  advantage,  and  addressed  them  in  a  calm  voice, 
announcing  himself  as  the  friend  of  the  Spaniards,  who,  he  said, 
would  leave  the  city  if  a  way  were  opened  for  them.  He  therefore 
requested  them  to  lay  down  their  arms.  A  murmur  of  disgust  ran 
through  the  multitude  at  this  address ;  and  in  the  tumult  of  their 
passion  they  entirely  forgot  their  accustomed  feelings  of  respect  and 
veneration  ;  bitter  taunts  were  followed  by  a  hostile  demonstration  on 
the  part  of  a  chief,  and  a  cloud  of  stones  and  arrows  descended  upon 
the  spot  where  he  stood  with  his  train.  The  Spaniards  attempted  to 
shield  his  person,  but  too  late  ;  he  was  wounded  by  three  of  the  mis 
siles,  and  fell  senseless  to  the  ground.  A  revulsion  of  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  mass  immediately  ensued,  and  the  great  square  before  the 
palace  was  entirely  deserted. 


DEATH    OF    MONTEZUMA. 


105 


Montezuma,  carried  below  by  his  attendants,  soon  revived  from 
the  stunning  effects  of  the  blow,  which  had  been  inflicted  on  his  head 

O  ' 

with  a  stone ;  but  the  wretchedness  of  his  condition  now  overcame 
him.  "  He  had  tasted,"  says  Mr.  Prescott,  "  the  last  bitterness  of 
degradation.  He  had  been  reviled,  rejected,  by  his  people.  The 
meanest  of  the  rabble  had  raised  their  hands  against  him.  He  had 
nothing  more  to  live  for.  It  was  in  vain  that  Cortes  and  his  officers 
endeavoured  to  soothe  the  anguish  of  his  spirit,  and  fill  him  with 
better  thoughts.  He  spoke  not  a  word  in  answer.  His  wound, 
though  dangerous,  might  still,  with  skilful  treatment,  not  prove 
mortal.  But  Montezuma  refused  all  the  remedies  prescribed  for  it. 
He  tore  off  the  bandages  as  often  as  they  were  applied,  maintaining 
all  the  while  the  most  determined  silence.  He  sat  with  eyes  dejected, 
brooding  over  his  fallen  fortunes,  over  the  image  of  ancient  majesty 
and  present  humiliation.  He  had  survived  his  honour.  But  a  spark 
of  his  ancient  spirit  seemed  to  kindle  in  his  bosom,  as  it  was  clear 
that  he  did  not  mean  to  survive  his  disgrace."*  He  expired  on  the 
30th  of  June,  1520,  in  the  arms  of  some  of  his  own  faithful  nobles. 
"  Cortes,  his  officers,  and  all  of  us,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "  shed  tears 
for  this  unfortunate  monarch  ;  indeed  many  of  our  men  who  had  been 
in  constant  attendance  upon  him,  mourned  for  him  as  if  they  had  lost 
a  parent.  Even  Father  Olmedo  himself,  who  never  for  a  moment 

left  his  side,  and  who,  notwithstanding  all 
his  efforts,  had  not  been  able  to  convert  him 
to  Christianity,  could  not  refrain  from  shed 
ding  tears.  And  no  one  will  feel  surprised 
at  this  who  knew  what  a  very  kind-hearted 
(person  Montezuma  was.  Mexico  never  had 
a  better  monarch."! 

Finding  that  they  suffered  severely  from 
the  missiles  thrown  into  their  fortress  from 
the  great  teocalli  opposite,  the  Spaniards  en 
deavoured  to  carry  it  by  storm ;  but  their 
first  efforts,  made  under  the  valiant  chamber 
lain  of  Cortes,  Escobar,  were  unsuccessful. 
The  general  himself  then  fastened  a  buckler 
to  his  disabled  left  arm,  and  led  on  his  troops 
to  the  attack  in  person.  Terrace  after  ter 
race  was  carried,  until  finally  the  opponents 
met  in  a  hand  to  hand  conflict  on  the  broad  level  at  the  top.  The 
natives  were  doubly  numerous,  but  the  victory  was  on  the  side  of  the 


Escobar. 


*   Conquest  of  Mexico,  vol.  ii.  p.  320. 

14 


t  Chapter  126. 


106 


CONQUEST    BY   CORTES. 


Cortes. 

Spaniards.  The  people  ceased  fighting  to  gaze  upon  the  issue  above, 
and  the  tumbling  of  the  struggling  warriors  down  the  sides  of  the 
precipice,  raised  alternate  emotions  of  sorrow  or  triumph  in  the  spec 
tators.  Cortes  himself  narrowly  escaped  death  in  this  manner,  at  the 
hands  of  two  of  the  most  athletic  of  the  Aztecs,  who  were  dragging 
him  to  the  edge,  joyful  in  death  to  rid  their  beloved  land  of  so  ter 
rible  a  foe.  At  length,  however,  the  last  warrior  was  overpowered, 
and  the  victors  rushed  into  the  sanctuaries.  They  found  the  statue 
of  the  Virgin  and  the  cross  removed  from  their  temple  ;  but  the  grim 
figure  of  Huitzilopotchli  was  still  in  the  other,  with  the  hearts  and 
gore  of  their  own  countrymen  lying  before  him.  With  feelings  of  joy 
and  triumph,  which  such  devoted  missionaries  only  could  experience, 
they  dragged  him  from  his  niche  and  tumbled  him  headlong  down 
the  steps  of  the  teocalli.  They  then  set  fire  to  the  sanctuary,  de 
scended  to  the  court  yard,  and  marched  to  their  own  quarters,  unmo 
lested  by  the  terrified  natives.  In  the  night  they  sallied  forth  and 
burned  three  hundred  houses.  The  siege,  however,  continued,  and 
the  enemy  continually  taunted  the  Spaniards  with  the  fact  that  all 
their  losses  did  not  lessen  their  numbers  nor  resources,  while  the 
Spaniards  were  becoming  continually  weaker,  and  could  not  escape, 
because  the  bridges  were  broken  down. 

After  the  death  of  Montezuma,  Cortes  determined  to  leave  the 
city,  and  night  was  chosen  for  the  attempt,  in  the  hope  that  the 
enemy  would  then  be  less  alert.  The  night  selected  was  that  of  the 
1st  of  July,  1520,  still  celebrated  by  the  Spaniards  as  the  Noche 
Triste,  (sorrowful  night.)  They  began  to  move,  towards  midnight,  in 


DEFEAT    OF    THE    SPANIARDS.  107 


Christoval  de  Olid. 

three  divisions,  Sandoval  leading  the  van,  Alvarado  and  de  Leon  the 
rear,  and  Cortes  himself  in  the  centre,  where  he  placed  the  prisoners, 
among  whom  were  a  son  and  two  daughters  of  Montezuma,  and  other 
Mexicans  of  distinction,  the  artillery,  the  baggage,  and  a  portable 
bridge,  made  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  pass  the  breaches 
in  the  causeway.  They  marched  in  silence  along  the  causeway 
which  led  to  Tacuba,  because  it  was  most  remote  from  Tlascala,  and 
had  been  less  damaged  by  the  enemy.  The  first  breach  in  it  was 
reached  without  molestation,  and  they  were  fixing  their  portable 
bridge  to  cross  it,  congratulating  themselves  on  their  success,  when 
the  signal  was  given  for  the  most  disastrous  battle  of  the  conquest. 
Instantaneously  the  lake  was  covered  by  canoes,  from  which  the 
natives  poured  arrows  and  stones  in  upon  them  from  every  quarter, 
rushing  forward  to  do  battle  on  the  causeway  with  a  daring  in  which 
all  thoughts  were  lost,  save  those  of  patriotism  and  revenge.  The 
wooden  bridge  unfortunately  became  so  wedged  into  the  mud  by  the 
passage  of  the  army  over  it,  that  it  was  impossible  to  move  it,  and 
the  army  pressed  onward  to  the  second  breach  in  dismay.  The 
Mexicans  hemmed  them  in  on  every  side,  while  their  discipline  and 
superior  weapons  could  avail  them  little  on  such  a  narrow  field,  and 
amid  the  darkness  of  a  rainy  night.  Fresh  warriors  instantly  filled 
the  place  of  the  Mexicans  who  fell,  driven  on  by  those  in  the  rear, 
until  the  Spaniards  were  compelled  to  give  way.  The  confusion 
soon  became  universal,  and  each  one  sought  only  to  save  himself. 
Cortes,  with  a  hundred  foot  soldiers  and  a  few  horse,  succeeded  in 
forcing  his  way  over  the  two  remaining  breaches  to  the  main  land, 


108 


CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 


the  bodies  of  the  dead  serving  to  fill  up  the  chasms.  He  formed 
them  on  the  shore,  and  returned  with  Sandoval  and  a  few  of  the 
horse,  to  the  place  on  the  causeway,  between  the  second  and  third 
breaches,  where  Alvarado  and  the  rear  guard  were  fighting  despe 
rately  against  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  foe.  With  his 
terrible  battle  cry  he  reassured  the  despairing  infantry,  and  led  the 
cavalry  to  Ihe  charge  with  such  furious  valour,  that  the  infantry  were 
enabled  to  reach  the  other  side  of  the  trench.  At  length  all  had 
crossed  except  Cortes,  Sandoval,  Alvarado,  and  a  few  others.  They 
all  made  their  way  over  except  Alvarado,  who  had  lost  his  horse,  and 
was  bleeding  from  several  wounds.  The  trench  was  filled  with  the 
enemy,  looking  at  him  with  fiendish  expectation  of  the  moment  when 
he  should  leap  into  the  ditch  and  be  borne  away  a  sacrifice  to  the 
gods,  whose  servants  he  had  shortly  before  so  ruthlessly  destroyed. 
Five  or  six  were  advancing  along  the  causeway  to  seize  him,  when 
he  glanced  to  the  other  side  of  the  chasm,  planted  his  long  lance 
amid  the  rubbish  in  the  centre,  and  clearing  it  at  a  bound,  placed 
himself  in  safety  amid  his  friends.  The  spot  where  this  tremendous 
feat  was  executed,  still  bears  the  name  of  Alvarado's  leap. 

THE  Mexicans  now  retired  from  the  fight, 
and  the  Spaniards  marched  along  the  cause 
way  to  Tlacopan.  Here,  in  the  daylight, 
Cortes  was  enabled  to  compute  the  losses  of 
the  night.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  Spaniards 
and  four  thousand  of  the  brave  Tlascalans 
had  been  slain,  drowned,  or  made  prisoners, 
and  this  number,  with  those  who  had  fallen 
in  the  terrible  conflicts  within  the  city,  re 
duced  his  army  to  a  little  more  than  one- 
fourth  what  it  had  been.  The  cannon,  fire 
arms,  and  ammunition  were  all  lost,  not  a 
musket  remaining  among  the  five  hundred 
survivors.  The  number  of  the  cavalry  was 
reduced  to  twenty-three,  and  they  were  in 
a  most  miserable  condition.  But  the  loss 
most  severely  felt  by  Cortes  was  that  of  his 
friend,  Velasquez  de  Leon,  who,  with  Alva 
rado,  had  held  the  post  of  danger,  and  lost 
his  life  defending  it.  The  sight  of  the 
wounds  of  the  survivors,  the  thought  of  their 
sufferings,  grief  at  the  loss  of  so  many  gallant  followers  and  faithful 
friends,  pierced  his  soul  with  anguish,  and  the  tears  stealing  down 
his  cheeks,  as  he  attempted  to  issue  necessary  orders,  were  remarked 


Velasquez  de  Leon. 


RETREAT   TO    TLASCALA.  109 

by  his  soldiers  with  affection,  as  evidence  of  the  goodness  of  his 
heart..  He  wasted  no  time,  however,  in  vain  regrets,  but  exerted 
himself  to  prepare  for  a  future  which  seemed  and  proved  to  be  full 
of  danger.  The  greater  part  of  the  treasure  was  lost.  The  general 
had  suffered  the  men  to  take  as  much  of  the  gold  in  the  treasury  as 
they  wished  before  setting  out,  telling  them  at  the  same  time,  how- 
evor,  that  those  travelled  safest  who  travelled  lightest.  Very  many, 
however,  disdained  to  follow  his  advice,  and  their  inconsiderate 
avarice  greatly  added  to  the  number  of  the  victims  of  the  night. 

At  this  very  moment,  however,  the  spirit  of  the  unconquerable 
leader  was  filled  with  plans  for  the  future,  in  which  no  thought  save 
of  ultimate  success,  was  allowed  to  enter.  The  safety  of  Donna 
Marina  and  Aguilar  was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  him,  but  he 
rejoiced  in  his  heart  to  find  that  his  skilful  shipwright,  Martin  Lopez, 
had  escaped  uninjured.  Anticipations  of  the  distant  future,  however, 
gave  place  to  the  care  against  immediate  danger.  The  army  was  on 
the  west  side  of  the  lake,  and  a  march  was  to  be  made  around  the 
north  end  of  it  before  they  could  go  towards  Tlascala,  which  lay  sixty- 
four  miles  east  of  it.  They  marched  for  six  days  through  a  barren 
country  incessantly  annoyed  by  the  enemy,  whose  attacks  required 
the  constant  exercise  of  courage  and  activity,  while  want  of  food  was 
fast  reducing  their  strength.  One  source  of  consolation,  however, 
remained  to  the  suffering  army ;  the  presence  of  their  leader,  fore 
most  in  every  danger,  and  sharing  with  cheerfulness  every  hardship. 
He  shared  with  them  in  a  feast  off  the  dead  body  of  a  horse,  whose 
decease  furnished  them  with  a  substitute  for  the  berries  and  roots  on 
which  they  had  been  subsisting. 

As  they  marched  along,  the  enemy,  who  harassed  them  repeatedly, 
uttered  the  same  cry  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Spaniards. 
Donna  Marina  translated  it  for  them,  but  could  not  tell  its  meaning. 
"  Hasten  on !  you  will  soon  find  yourselves  where  you  cannot  escape !" 
Time  furnished  an  explanation.  As  the  army  came  to  the  summit 
of  an  eminence,  they  saw  in  the  spacious  valley  before  them,  the  plain 
of  Otumba,  an  immense  army,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
and  directly  in  the  road  they  had  to  follow.  This  was  the  main  army 
of  the  Mexicans,  of  which  the  body  which  had  accompanied  their  re 
treat,  and  was  now  in  their  rear,  was  but  a  small  detachment.  The 
boldest  of  the  Spaniards  despaired  at  the  prospect  of  death  in  the  at 
tempt  to  force  a  passage  at  such  odds ;  but  Cortes  giving  them  no 
time  for  reflection,  led  on  the  charge.  Every  where  he  made  head 
against  them ;  but  all  his  efforts  were  unavailing,  so  far  as  the  end  in 
view  was  concerned,  for  one  battalion  was  no  sooner  dispersed  than 
new  ones  occupied  its  place ;  and  as  the  day  wore  on,  the  Spaniards 
K 


CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 


Sandoval. 


felt  their  strength  failing  without  seeing  any  end  to  their  toil,  or  any  hope 
of  victory.     The  most  daring  feats  of  arms  had  been  achieved  by  the 

young  captain,  Sandoval,  on  whom  the 
admiration  of  the  army  was  fixed,  when 
the  quick  eye  and  daring  hand  of  Cortes 
himself  effected  their  deliverance.  He 
had  noticed  at  a  distance,  in  the  throng,  a 
chieftain  whom  he  judged  to  be  the  com 
mander  of  the  enemy  from  the  splendour 
of  his  dress,  and  the  standard  of  the  Az 
tecs,  which  was  a  golden  net  at  the  end 
of  a  short  staff,  attached  to  his  back  be 
tween  the  shoulders.  Summoning  San 
doval,  Olid,  Alvarado,  and  others  to  his 
aid,  he  rushed  headlong  into  the  thickest 
of  the  enemy,  beating  them  to  the  earth 
by  the  very  impetuosity  of  his  attack,  and 
clearing  every  obstacle  in  the  way  to  the 
chief,  before  the  especial  object  of  this  onslaught  could  be  discovered. 
The  nobles  around  the  cacique  made  a  gallant  resistance ;  but  the 
fate,  of  this  day,  and  the  lives  of  his  whole  army,  depended  now  upon 
his  efforts  alone,  and  he  overturned  them  as  men  of  atoms,  until  he 
was  in  the  presence  of  the  cacique  himself,  whom  he  hurled  to  the 
ground  with  his  lance. 

Juan  de  Salamanca,  a  brave  young  cavalier  had  kept  close  beside 
his  leader  in  the  charge :  he  now  dismounted  and  despatched  the  fallen 
chief,  tearing  away  his  banner,  and  presenting  it  to  Cortes  as  the  vic 
tor.  The  whole  was  the  work  of  a  moment :  the  nobles  of  the  guard 
fled,  panic-stricken ;  every  standard  among  the  Aztecs  was  lowered  ; 
weapons  were  cast  aside,  and  a  flight  to  the  mountains  commenced. 
Wounds,  hunger,  fatigue,  every  thing  was  forgotten  by  the  Spaniards 
and  Tlascalans  in  the  eagerness  of  revenge.  The  work  of  slaughter 
continued  until  no  more  victims  could  be  reached,  when  the  con 
querors  returned  to  indemnify  themselves  for  the  treasures  they  had 
lost,  in  taking  the  spoils  of  their  enemies.  These  were  exceedingly 
valuable,  as  the  Mexican  army  numbered  among  its  slain,  many  of  the 
principal  warriors,  who  had  marched  into  the  battle-field  in  their 
richest  ornaments,  assured  of  victory.  Next  day  the  Spaniards  en 
tered  the  territories  of  the  Tlascalans,  whose  chiefs  soon  put  to  flight 
their  misgivings  as  to  the  reception  they  would  meet.  "  We  have 
made  common  cause  together,"*  said  Maxixca,  "  and  we  have  com- 


*  Prescott,  vol.  ii.  p.  407. 


INDISPOSITION   OF    CORTES.  Ill 

mon  injuries  to  avenge;  and  come  weal  or  come  wo,  be  assured  we 
will  prove  true  and  loyal  friends,  and  stand  by  you  to  the  death." 

THE  Totonacs  and  the  Cempoal- 
lans  remained  firm  in  their  attach 
ment  to  his  interests,  and  thereby  se 
cured  to  him  the  town  of  Villa  Rica. 
Their  friends  at  Tlascala  were  assidu 
ous  in  their  care  of  the  sick  and 
wounded,  of  whom  Cortes  himself  was 
one  of  the  greatest  sufferers.  He  lost 
the  use  of  two  fingers  of  his  left  hand, 
and  had  received  two  wounds  on  the 
head,  one  of  which,  exasperated  by  fa 
tigue  and  excitement,  now  threatened 
his  life.  A  fever  ensued,  which  reduced  him  to  the  verge  of  the  grave. 
His  constitution,  however,  triumphed  over  the  disease,  and  the  quiet 
inactivity  of  convalescence  enabled  him  to  ponder  carefully  his  plan 
for  continuing  to  prosecute  the  conquest. 

The  tidings  which  reached  him  were  not  of  a  gratifying  character. 
When  he  came  from  Mexico  to  overthrow  Narvaez,  he  had  brought 
with  him  a  quantity  of  gold,  which  had  been  deposited  at  Tlascala, 
on  his  return  to  Mexico.  Velasquez  de  Leon  had  added  to  this 
a  considerable  sum :  the  whole  was  under  the  guardianship  of  a  num 
ber  of  invalid  soldiers.  A  party  of  five  horsemen  and  forty  foot, 
coming  from  Vera  Cruz,  offered  to  escort  the  invalids  and  treasure  to 
the  capital,  and  set  out  on  the  road  thither.  The  whole  party  was 
cut  off,  and  the  treasure  lost.  Twelve  other  soldiers  marching  in  the 
same  direction,  had  been  massacred  in  the  province  of  Tepeaca,  and 
accounts  were  from  time  to  time  received  of  the  murder  of  solitary 
travellers,  who,  ignorant  of  the  altered  state  of  affairs  at  the  capital, 
had  ventured  to  travel  thitherward  alone. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  leave  his  bed,  he  drew  a  supply  of  am 
munition  and  two  or  three  field-pieces  from  his  stores  at  Vera  Cruz, 
and  prepared  to  take  the  field  for  the  purpose  of  punishing  some  of 
the  neighbouring  tribes,  who  had  taken  advantage  of  his  clouded 
fortunes  to  revolt  from  his  government.  Many  of  the  soldiers  refused 
to  participate  in  any  further  hostilities,  demanding  to  be  led  back  to 
Vera  Cruz ;  but  he  made  one  of  his  soul-stirring  speeches  to  them, 
which  roused  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  own  first  followers,  and 
shamed  into  silence  the  discontented  soldiers  from  the  army  of  Nai  - 
vaez.  The  Tlascalans  gave  him  a  ready  support ;  his  former  able 
•  enemy,  the  younger  Xicotencatl,  laying  aside  the  animosity  he  had 
heretofore  shown  towards  the  Spaniards,  and  taking  the  field  in  per- 


L12  CONQUEST  BY   CORTES. 

son  at  the  head  of  his  countrymen.  He  could  have  found  no  better 
teacher  in  the  art  of  war.  The  Tepeacans,  a  powerful  tribe  of  the 
same  stock  as  the  Aztecs,  had  yielded  to  Cortes  when  the  Tlascalans 
were  subdued,  and  afterwards  resumed  their  allegiance  to  the  Mexi 
cans.  They  were  defeated  in  two  bloody  battles,  in  which  the 
conquerors  gained  great  booty.  For  the  massacre  of  the  twelve 
Spaniards  they  were  dreadfully  punished.  The  people  of  the  places 
implicated  in  the  massacre,  were  branded  with  hot  iron  as  slaves, 
and  four-fifths  of  them  distributed  among  the  soldiers  and  the  allies. 
Cortes  now  made  Tepeaca  his  head-quarters,  and  a  short  but  brilliant 
campaign  followed,  in  which  he  extended  his  authority  over  all  the 
neighbouring  provinces,  accustomed  his  men  to  victory,  reasserted 
the  Spanish  superiority,  taught  his  Indian  allies  to  act  in  concert 
with  his  own  troops,  and  steadily  weakened  the  Mexican  power.  Suc 
cess  in  battle  was  followed  up  by  pursuit,  and  the  capture  of  the 
enemy's  camp,  which  was  given  up  to  plunder ;  a  judicious  course 
which  brought  about  him  in  immense  numbers  the  brave  natives, 
who  fought  gladly  under  a  chief  always  leading  them  to  certain  vic 
tory  and  plunder.  The  character  Cortes  had  acquired  for  disinte 
restedness  and  equity,  attached  them  to  his  person  more  and  more 
strongly,  as  the  wisdom  of  his  judgments,  when  disputed  rights  and 
succession  to  power  were  referred  to  his  arbitration,  led  them  to  yield 
him  an  ascendency  over  their  councils  greater  than  had  ever  before 
been  exercised.  Sandoval,  at  the  head  of  a  separate  command, 
destroyed  a  great  force  of  the  enemy,  in  two  battles,  fought  in  the 
country  between  Vera  Cruz  and  the  camp,  and  restored  the  commu 
nication  with  that  place,  and  Cortes  soon  found  himself  the  head  of 
an  empire  raised  by  himself  in  the  heart  of  the  land,. rivalling  in 
strength  that  of  the  Mexicans  themselves. 

The  captain-general  now  sent  his  shipwright,  Martin  Lopez,  to 
Tlascala  to  commence  the  building  of  thirteen  brigantines,  which 
might  be  taken  to  pieces  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  Indians, 
to  be  reconstructed  and  launched  on  Lake  Tezcuc,o.  The  sails,  rig 
ging,  and  other  furniture  were  to  be  brought  from  Vera  Cruz,  from 
the  stored  up  remains  of  the  dismantled  ships.  At  this  juncture, 
Duero,  the  secretary,  who  had  hitherto  been  his  fast  friend,  with 
some  others,  left  his  standard,  and  sailed  away  from  Vera  Cruz  by 
his  permission,  some  of  them  to  meet  him  again  as  enemies  at  the 
court  of  Madrid.  Their  place  was  supplied  by  reinforcements  which 
he  little  anticipated.  Velasquez  having  heard  nothing  from  his  ex 
pedition  under  Narvaez,  and  supposing  Cortes,  to  be  by  this  time,  a  ' 
prisoner  in  his  hands,  had  despatched  a  ship  with  stores,  arms,  and 
ammunition  to  the  colony  of  Villa  Rica.  The  alcalde  of  Vera  Cruz 


CORTES  FOUNDS  A  NEW  COLONY. 


113 


permitted  the  crew  to  land,  then  seized  them,  secured  their  vessel, 
informed  them  of  their  error,  and  induced  them  to  enlist  under 
Cortes.  A  second  vessel  sent  by  Velasquez  soon  afterwards  shared 
the  same  fate ;  three  vessels  sent  by  the  governor  of  Jamaica  to 
prosecute  discoveries  and  plant  colonies  in  Central  America,  met 
with  disasters,  and  pame  to  Vera  Cruz  to  restore  the  men,  weakened 
by  wounds  and  sickness,  where  the  crews  were  easily  induced  by  the 
magic  power  of  Cortes's  name,  to  abandon  their  present  disastrous 
service  and  join  his  army ;  and  finally,  a  merchant  vessel,  sent  out 
from  the  Canaries  to  sell  arms  and  military  stores  to  adventurers 
in  the  New  World,  came  direct  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  was  purchased  by 
Cortes,  crew,  vessel,  and  cargo. 

RTES  now  founded  a  second  Spanish 
colony  in  the  interior  of  the  country  at 
Tepeaca,  which  he  called  Segura  de  la 
Frontera.  This  place  became  of  some 
importance  in  the  age  of  the  conquest,, 
but  has  since  steadily  declined.  With 
joy  at  these  great  accessions  to  their 
power,  was  mingled  deep  regret  on  the 
part  of  the  Spaniards  at  the  loss  of  their 
kind  friend,  the  Tlascalan  cacique,  Max- 
ixca,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  small  pox, 
which  had  been  introduced  into  the 
country  by  a  negro  in  Narvaez's  service, 
and  was  now  sweeping  over  the  whole 
country,  strewing  its  path  with  thousands 
of  victims.  The  emperor,  Cuitlahua,  the 
successor  of  Montezuma,  fell  beneath  it. 
The  good  Father  Olmedo  came  to  Maxixca  on  his  death  bed,  and 
found  a  crucifix  before  his  couch  as  the  object  of  his  adoration.  He 
was  baptized  immediately,  and  the  Christians  had  the  satisfaction  of 
believing  him  at  least  to  be  exempted  from  eternal  perdition. 

In  the  middle  of  December,  having  fixed  a  garrison  of  sixty  in 
valid  soldiers  at  Tepeaca,  and  made  all  his  arrangements  for  the 
march  to  Mexico,  Cortes  returned  to  Tlascala.  His  advance  was  a 
perfect  triumph.  The  trophies  and  the  spoils  of  his  victories  were 
conspicuously  displayed,  and  the  natives  poured  out  in  masses  to  hail 
their  return  with  songs,  dancing,  and  music.  Triumphal  arches 
were  every  where  erected  along  the  route,  the  path  was  strewn  with 
flowers,  and  the  victorious  general  was  further  glorified  in  a  recep 
tion  speech  by  a  Tlascalan  orator,  who  styled  him  "  The  Avenger  of 
the  Nation."  But.  what  won  the  hearts  of  the  natives  eVen  more  than 
K2  15 


114 


CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 


these  successes,  was  the  sight  of  Cortes  and  his  officers  all  clad  in  deep 
mourning  for  the  loss  of  their  friend,  Maxixca.  The  first  act  of  the 
general  was  to  settle  the  succession  on  the  son  of  that  cacique,  whose 
right  to  the  throne  was  disputed  by  an  illegitimate  brother.  The 
young  ruler  was  persuaded  to  be  baptized,  and  Cortes  afterwards 
knighted  him. 

ABOUT  the  same  time  the  Mexi 
cans,  with  one  voice,  called  to  the 
throne  the  prince  Quauhtemotzin,  ren 
dered  by  the  Spaniards  Guatemozin, 
the  son-in-law  and  nephew  of  Mon- 
tezuma.  He  was  but  twenty-five  years 
old,  yet  there  was  no  more  valiant 
man  in  Mexico,  and  none  had  so  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  the  bloody  con 
flicts  of  the  capital.  He  knew  b 
means,  of  his  spies  the  preparations 
and  designs  of  Cortes  against  the 
capital,  and  he  prepared  to  meet  him 
in  an  effectual  manner.  All  useless 
persons  were  sent  away ;  the  power 
ful  vassals  of  the  neighbourhood  were 
called  to  the  city  in  great  numbers ; 
the  defences  were  strengthened ;  the 
troops  were  exercised  daily  in  arms, 

and  every  incentive  was  resorted  to  which  could  inspire  the  masses 
with  the  same  hatred  of  the  invaders  which  filled  the  breast  of  the 
emperor. 

Cortes  left  Tlascala  on  his  final  march  for  Mexico,  on  the  28th  of 
December,  1520.  His  force  consisted  of  about  six  hundred  Spaniards, 
with  forty  horses,  nine  cannons,  and  an  indifferent  supply  of  ammunition. 
A  large  body  of  the  natives,  Tlascalans,  Tepeacans,  and  Cholulans 
followed  him,  and  another  army  of  these  natives  marched  to  the  capi 
tal  soon  afterwards,  guarding  and  assisting  in  the  transportation  of 
the  brigantines.  The  general  found  many  preparations  made  along 
the  road  for  his  reception ;  but  he  reached  the  city  of  Tezcuco  with 
out  difficulty.  To  his  surprise,  the  cacique  of  the  city  attempted  ne 
gotiation  for  a  few  hours,  while  the  population  of  the  city,  and  he 
himself,  abandoned  it  and  fled  to  Mexico.  On  entering  the  city 
Cortes  discovered  their  flight,  and  immediately  took  advantage  of  it 
to  proclaim  the  cacique  dethroned.  Some  of  the  Tezcucan  nobles 
pointed  out  a  person  who  favoured  the  Spaniards  as  the  rightful  heir 
io  the  throne,  and  Cortes  elevated  him  to  it.  His  people  were  by 


CORTES   WOUNDED. 


115 


Ixtlilxochitl. 


this  raeins  made  allies  of  the  army,  and  rendered  good  service  where 
they  'could  be  trusted,  under  their  general  Ixtlilxochitl,  the  brother 
of  the  new  king,  and  the  man  whom  Montezuma  had  imbittered  by 
his  decision,  when  the  disputed  succession  to  the  throne  of  Nezahualpilli 
was  submitted  to  his  arbitration. 

THE  new  cacique  of  Tezcuco  did  not  long 
survive  his  exaltation,  and  Ixtlilxochitl  suc 
ceeded  him.  He  was  always  afterwards  the 
fast  friend  of  the  Spaniards,  and  contributed 
no  little  to  their  success.  Making  Tezcuco 
his  head-quarters,  Cortes  employed  himself 
for  four  months,  while  the  preparations  for 
launching  the  fleet  were  being  made,  with 
excursions  into  all  the  country  around  the 
lakes,  sometimes  acting  in  concert  with  his 
lieutenants,  Sandoval  and  Alvarado,  and  some 
times  in  separate,  independent  expeditions. 
Every  where  the  powerful  genius  of  Guate- 
smozin  showed  itself  in  opposition  to  him,  and 
several  of  the  most  glorious  battles  of  the 
conquest  were  fought  in  this  preparatory  campaign.  The  emperor 
displayed  a  devotion  and  patriotism  that  would  have  rendered  his 
name  immortal  in  other  circumstances.  On  one  occasion  he  opened 
the  dikes  and  flooded  the  city  of  Iztapalapan  when  the  Spaniards  had 
stormed  it,  causing  them  to  be  nearly  drowned  in  their  retreat,  spoiling 
their  powder,  and  preventing  them  from  carrying  off  any  of  the  spoils. 
At  Xochimilco,  "  the  field  of  flowers,"  one  of  the  most  wealthy 
and  beautiful  cities  on  the  lake,  Cortes  had  the  most  narrow  escape 
from  death  that  befell  him  during  the  war.  He  had  gained  a  victory, 
and  taken  the  city,  and  the  troops  were  hotly  pursuing  the  fugitives 
through  the  streets.  The  general  himself,  with  a  few  followers,  re 
mained  near  the  entrance  to  the  city.  A  fresh  body  of  Indians  sud 
denly  poured  into  the  place  from  a  neighbouring  dike.  Cortes, 
knowing  no  fear,  threw  himself  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  hoping 
to  stop  their  advance.  But  he  and  his  little  party  were  quickly 
overwhelmed  in  the  mass  of  the  enemy,  his  horse  fell,  he  received 
a  very  severe  blow  on.  the  head,  and  his  enemies  seized  him,  and 
with  shouts  of  triumph  were  bearing  him  off.  A  Tlascalan  saw  his 
danger.  With  the  fury  of  a  tiger  he  sprang  to  the  rescue,  and  his 
superhuman  efforts  stopped  their  progress  until  two  of  the  general's 
servants  came  to  the  rescue,  and  enabled  him  to  regain  his  feet.  He 
was  soon  in  the  saddle  again,  and  the  victorious  pursuers,  hearing 
the  tumult  in  their  rear,  came  back  and  ended  the  conflict.  Corle 


116  CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 

would  have  lost  his  life  but  for  the  eagerness  of  the  enemy  to  take 
him  prisoner.  Many  of  the  Spaniards  saved  their  lives  in  conse 
quence  of  this  passion  for  living  victims.  Cortes  sought  in  vain  next 
day  for  his  gallant  Tlascalan  preserver,  and  supposing  him  dead,  at 
tributed  his  salvation  to  his  good  patron,  Saint  Peter. 

A  conspiracy  among  his  men,  chiefly  confined  to  the  old  troops  of 
Narvaez,  was  happily  discovered,  and  the  leader  promptly  hanged 
from  the  windows  of  his  own  quarters.  The  Tlascalan  chief,  Xico- 
tencatl,  deserted  the  Spaniards  in  such  a  manner  as  to  occasion  great 
fears  from  the  effects  of  his  well-known  animosity  to  them,  and  Cor 
tes  sent  to  the  Tlascalan  senate  to  demand  his  arrest,  stating  that  the 
Spanish  law  punished  desertion  with  death.  They  replied  that 
their  law  was  the  same,  and  the  royal  captive  was  delivered  to  the 
Spaniards  to  be  executed  in  the  presence  of,  and  as  a  warning  to, 
his  more  faithful  countrymen.  During  these  operations,  two  hundred 
men,  eighty  horses,  and  a  supply  of  ammunition,  arrived  in  three  ships 
at  Vera  Cruz,  probably  the  ones  sent  to  Jamaica  by  Cortes  for  re 
inforcements  while  he  was  at  Tlascala. 

HIS  welcome  addition  to  his  means  of 
offence  soon  reached  his  camp.  The 
brigantines  were  launched,  twelve  of 
the  thirteen  proving  fit  for  service,  and, 
though  necessarily  rude  and  imperfect, 
they  gained  at  the  outset  a  decisive  vic 
tory  over  the  canoes  of  the  natives,  and 
secured  to  the  Spaniards  the  command 
of  the  lake.  The  operations  in  the 
neighbouring  states,  while  they  secured 
to  Cortes  the  ability  to  turn  his  whole 
attention  to  the  reduction  of  the  city  without  fear  of  annoyance  from 
without,  greatly  increased  the  number  of  the  defenders  of  the  capital, 
as  each  successive  hostile  army  when  defeated,  marched  thither  for 
refuge,  and  to  partake  in  the  final  struggle  for  its  defence.  Their 
very  numbers,  however,  proved  a  disadvantage  from  the  impossibility 
of  sustaining  them  for  any  length  of  time,  and  contributed  materially 
to  hasten  the  fall  of  the  city.  Provisions  were  carried  into  the  city, 
for  a  time,  however,  in  great  quantities,  and  even  when  the  brigan 
tines  caused  the  open  transportation  by  canoes  to  cease,  the  natives 
still  contrived  to  administer  to  the  necessities  of  the  garrison  by  night. 
But  this  state  of  things  changed  when  the  great  vassals  in  the  vicinity 
found  that  Guatemozin  was  becoming  more  and  more  straightened  in 
the  capital,  and  of  course  less  able  to  support  and  protect  them. 
They  revolted  one  by  one,  espoused  the  cause  of  Cortes,  and  sent 


SIEGE    OF   THE    CAPITAL.  117 

their  warriors  in  such  numbers  to  aid  him  in  the  siege,  that  he  be 
came  in  turn  seriously  distressed  for  the  means  of  feeding  all  his 
host. 

The  siege  was  regularly  commenced  on  the  10th  of  May,  1521, 
The  army  was  divided  into  three  bodies,  nearly  equal  in  numbers. 
One,  under  Alvarado,  was  posted  at  Tlacopan,  to  operate  on  the 
western  causeway ;  another,  under  Christoval  de  Olid,  commanded 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  southern  ca'useway  at  Cojohuacan,  and  the 
third,  under  the  intrepid  Sandoval,  pushed  on  the  attack  from  the 
other  branch  of  the  same  causeway  at  Iztapalapan. 

HE  flotilla  was  under  the  command  of 
Cortes  himself,  who  assisted  the  opera 
tions  of  his  lieutenants  whenever  his 
presence  was  necessary.  Alvarado  oc 
casioned  great  distress  in  the  capital 
by  a  successful  attempt,  made  as  soon 
as  his  post  was  assigned  him,  to  cut  off 
the  aqueducts  which  supplied  the  city 
with  water.  During  the  rest  of  the 
siege  the  Mexicans  were  forced  to  drink 
the  salt  water  of  the  lake,  or  depend 
upon  the  precarious  supply  introduced  from  without  in  canoes.  For 
a  month  after  the  siege  had  been  commenced,  Cortes  adhered  to  a 
plan  by  which  he  hoped  to  effect  its  reduction  without  destroying 
the  city,  which  he  destined  to  become  his  capital,  and  a  monument 
of  his  glory.  He  pushed  on  the  attack  from  all'the  three  stations 
with  vigour,  but  the  Aztecs  met  him  with  valour  only  inferior  to  that 
of  the  Spaniards.  When  his  troops  had  spent  the  day  carrying  bar 
ricades,  filling  up  trenches  and  canals,  and  advancing  their  purpose, 
and  had  retired  to  their  quarters  for  the  night,  the  indefatigable  foe 
sallied  forth  and  repaired  their  works  anew  for  the  conflict  on  the 
morrow.  Thus  the  toil  and  danger  of  the  Spaniards  were  continually 
renewed,  yet  they  struggled  on  in  the  hope  of  gaining  some  decisive 
advantage,  which  might  force  the  enemy  to  surrender,  and  terminate 
the  war.  But  they  found  that  they  greatly  underrated  the  heroism 
of  their  foes. 

On  land  and  on  water,  by  night  and  by  day,  one  furious  conflict 
succeeded  another,  and  though  the  Spaniards  had  completed  the  oc 
cupation  of  the  causeways,  and  the  city  was  in  a  state  of  blockade, 
they  seemed  but  little  nearer  their  object  than  at  first.  Under  this 
state  of  things,  Cortes  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  his  officers  to 
hazard  an  assault  upon  the  city  in  the  hope  of  getting  possession  of 
the  great  market  of  Tlatelolco,  whose  spacious  porticoes  would  fur- 


118 


CONQUEST   BY    CORTES. 


nish  accommodations  for  a  numerous  host,  and  by  which  an  easy 
communication  would  be  opened  between  the  camps  of  Alvarado  and 
Sandoval.  The  royal  treasurer,  Alderete,  advocated  this  measure, 
and  Cortes  gave  him  the  command  of  one  body  of  his  own  division. 

Andres  de  Tapia  and  Jorge  de  Alva 
rado,  a  younger  brother  of  Pedro,  led 
the  second  body,  and  the  third  was 
under  the  direction  of  Cortes  himself. 
These  three  bodies  were  to  advance 
along  the  three  parallel  streets  which  led 
from  the  suburbs  into  the  square  of  Tla- 
telolco.  Cortes  gave  very  strict  orders 
not  to  advance  without  filling  up  all  the 
ditches  and  openings  in  the  causeway,  in 
order  to  secure  a  retreat.  In  the  ardour 
of  battle  this  was  neglected  by  Alderete, 
whose  accounts  of  the  success  he  met 
with  filled  the  mind  of  Cortes  with  mis 
givings.  He  quitted  his  own  body  and 
followed  in  the  track  of  the  rash  leader. 
Soon  he  came  to  a  breach  in  the  cause 
way,  the  sides  of  which  gave  evidence  of 
their  having  very  recently  been  trimmed 
off.  It  was  twelve  paces  wide,  and  filled  with  water  two  fathoms 
deep.  Scarcely  any  attempt  had  been  made  to  fill  it  up,  and  Cortes 
saw  that  his  rash  officer  had  rushed  into  the  snare  laid  for  him.  He 
set  about  filling  up  the  chasm,  when  the  great  gong  of  Guatemozin 
was  sounded,  and  in  a  moment  the  flying  Aztecs  turned  on  their 
pursuers  with  a  fury  that  threw  them  into  a  panic.  From  every  lane 
thousands  of  warriors  poured  upon  their  flanks,  seizing  the  fugitives, 
and  bearing  them  away  alive  to  grace  the  altars  of  their  gods.  Mis 
siles  were  poured  upon  their  heads  from  the  housetops,  and  they 
were  unable,  in  the  confusion,  to  distinguish  their  Indian  allies  from 
their  foes.  Cortes  stood  in  the  water  at  the  breach,  labouring  with 
the  most  praiseworthy  devotion  to  assist  the  poor  fugitives  to  reach 
the  further  side  of  the  breach,  his  well-known  person,  and  his  posi 
tion,  causing  the  darts,  stones,  and  arrows  from  thousands  of  ene 
mies,  to  be  poured  upon  him.  At  length,  with  a  cry  of  Malinche, 
six  able-bodied  warriors  seized  him  suddenly,  and  attempted  to  drag 
him  into  their  canoe.  In  the  fight  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
leg,  and  his  escape  seemed  hopeless,  when  a  gallant  warrior,  Cristo- 
val  de  Olea,  came  to  his  aid,  cut  off  at  a  blow  the  arm  of  one  savage, 
and  ran  another  through  the  body  with  his  sword.  His  own  life  was 


Jorge  de  Alvarado. 


SIEGE    OF    THE    CAPITAL. 


J19 


forfeited  for  his  general ;  but  a  Tlascalan  and  another  Spaniard  were 
enabled  by  this  time  to  come  up,  and  they  despatched  three  others 
of  the  general's  captors.  His  horse  was  now  brought  to  him,  and  he 
was  assisted  to  mount  him,  but  his  chamberlain,  Guzman,  was 
snatched  away  by  the  enemy  as  he  held  the  bridle,  and  carried  off 
a  captive. 

| HE  general  at  length  collected  the 
remnant  of  the  division  at  an  open 
ing  where  he  had  stationed  a  re 
serve  with  two  guns,  and  the  fire 
of  the  artillery  served  to  check  the 
advance  of  the  enemy,  while  an 
orderly  retreat  was  effected.  Mean 
while  the  forces  of  Pedro  de  Alva- 
rado  and  Sandoval  had  entered 
the  city  from  the  other  causeway, 
and  gained  many  advantages,  but 
the  gong  which  sounded  for  the 
assault  on  the  troops  of  Alderete, 
produced  an  increase  in  the  fury  of 
their  opponents,  while  the  heads  of  their  countrymen,  which  the 
enemy  exhibited  to  them  with  cries,  implying  that  Cortes  was  slain, 
satisfied  them  that  the  day  had  been  lost  by  the  other  division,  and 
they  retreated.  Cortes  was  also  presented  with  the  heads  of  his 
fallen  warriors  during  the  battle,  and  the  enemy  impressed  him  with 
the  belief  that  both  Alvarado  and  Sandoval  were  slain.  The  reunion 
between  them  was  on  this  account  extremely  joyful,  although  their 
hearts  were  greatly  cast  down  by  the  events  of  the  day.  Besides 
those  who  had  fallen  in  fighting  and  the  wounded,  they  had  lost  in 
prisoners  sixty-two  Spaniards  and  a  multitude  of  allies,  all  of  whom 
would  certainly  be  sacrificed.  In  the  evening,  as  the  declining  sun 
lit  up  the  top  of  the  teocalli,  they  saw  several  of  their  countrymen, 
whose  white  skins  identified  them  as  they  were  driven  up  the  wind 
ing  ascent  of  the  temple,  sacrificed  in  the  usual  mode.  After  their 
hearts  were  torn  out,  their  bodies  were  tumbled  off  the  top  to  make 
a  feast  for  the  cannibals  below.  This  sight  made  the  Spaniards  sick 
at  heart,  while  it  inspired  their  enemies  with  resolution  sufficient  to 
make  them  vow  that  all  their  enemies  should  share  the  same  fate, 
and  attempted  to  fulfil  it  by  a  fearful  assault  upon  the  intrenchments. 
They  paid  dearly,  however,  for  their  temerity. 

They  were  nevertheless  so  elated  by  their  great  victory,  that  the 
priests  ventured  to  predict  that  in  eight  days  all  the  Spaniards  should 
be  slain,  for  so  their  gods  had  decreed.  The  allies  of  the  Spaniards 


120  CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 


Pedro  de  Alvarado. 

became  terrified  at  this  prediction,  and  nearly  all  withdrew  to  a  dis 
tance  to  await  in  fear  the  event.  Many  of  the  caciques,  however, 
remained  in  the  camp,  and  Cortes  kept  his  men  quiet  in  their  in- 
trenchments  until  after  the  eight  days  had  expired.  Then  the  allies 
came  back  joyfully,  in  greater  numbers  than  before.  But  these  eight 
days  had  greatly  weakened  the  starving  defenders  of  the  city,  who 
were  now  rapidly  circumscribed  in  their  limits. 

The  Spaniards  advanced  gradually,  but  steadily,  the  allies  filled 
up  the  ditches  behind  them  and  levelled  with  the  ground  every  con 
quered  edifice,  and  though  the  indomitable  Guatemozin  disputed 
every  inch  of  ground,  his  resistance  became  daily  weaker.  Pesti 
lence,  the  natural  result  of  faminej  and  the  number  of  unburied 
bodies  which  were  lying  in  the  streets  filled  up  the  measure  of  their 
woes. 

Still  did  the  dauntless  Guatemozin  refuse  to  capitulate.  The 
daring  Alvarado  carried  by  assault  the  great  teocalli,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  city,  on  which  they  had  seen  so  many  of  their  country 
men  sacrificed.  He  devoted  the  warriors  and  priests  who  defended 
it  to  the  manes  of  his  murdered  countrymen,  and  announced  his  suc 
cess  to  the  other  divisions  of  the  army  by  burning  the  war-god  and 
his  sanctuary,  and  planting  in  triumph  on  the  ruins  the  standard  of 
Castile.  The  divisions  of  the  beseigers  now  united  in  the  city, 
seven-eighths  of  which  was  in  ruins.  Two  murderous  assaults  were 
made  on  the  12th  and  13th  of  August.  On  the  12th,  by  the  aid  of 
the  allies,  who  totally  disregarded  the  orders  of  Cortes  to  spare,  the 
unresisting  forty  thousand  of  the  Mexicans  were  slaughtered,  and  on 


MEETING   OF   CORTES   AND    GUATEMOZIN.       121 

the  succeeding  day  the  work  of  destruction  was  proceeding  at  a  fear 
fully 'rapid  rate,  when  Guatemozin  was  captured  by  one  of  the  ves 
sels  in  an  attempt  to  escape  to  the  main  land.  The  glory  of  his 
arrest  belongs  to  Captain  Garci  Holguin,  who  acted  under  the  orders 
of  the  vigilant  Sandoval.  The  news  of  the  prince's  capture  spread 
through  the  fleet  of  canoes  and  the  army  on  shore,  and  all  resistance 
ended.  ••  -»'  , 

Guatemozin  was  conducted  to  Cortes,  who  treated  him  with  re 
spect  and  consideration.  Donna  Marina  acted  as  his  interpreter,  a 
proud  moment  for  her  who  had  shared  in  the  devotion  of  love  the 
many  vicissitudes  through  which  the  conqueror  had  passed.  When 
the  emperor  and  the  conqueror  met,  Guatemozin  first  broke  silence  by 
saying,  "I  have  done  all  that  I  could  to  defend  myself  and  my  people. 
I  am  now  reduced  to  this  state.  You  will  deal  with  me,  Malinche, 
as  you  list.  Better  despatch  me  with  this,"  laying  his  hand  on  the 
hilt  of  a  poniard  in  the  general's  belt,  "  and  rid  me  of  life  at  once." 
Filled  with  admiration,  Cortes  replied.  "  Fear  not,  you  shall  be 
treated  with  all  honour.  You  have  defended  your  capital  like  a 
brave  warrior.  A  Spaniard  knows  how  to  respect  valour  even  in  an 
enemy."*  He  then  caused  the  emperor's  wife  to  be  brought  from 
the  brigantine  into  his  presence,  and  the  royal  captives  and  their  at 
tendant  nobles  were  supplied  with  the  food  they  so  much  needed.  On 
the  next  day  Cortes  gave  orders  for  the  unmolested  evacuation  of  the 
city  by  the  Mexicans,  according  to  Guatemozin's  request,  and  the  puri 
fication  was  commenced.  Treasure  was  not  to  be  found.  The  whole 
booty  in  the  precious  metals  did  not  amount  to  as  much  as  the  Spa 
niards  had  left  behind  them,  when  they  quitted  the  city  on  the  Noche 
Triste,  and  though  Cortes  afterwards  went  so  far  as  to  put  both  the 
emperor  and  his  treasurer  to  the  torture,  he  did  not  succeed  in  dis 
covering  any  hidden  depositories  of  wealth. 

"It  was  the  hour  of  vespers,"  says  Mr.  Prescott,*  "when  Guate 
mozin  surrendered,  and  the  siege  might  be  considered  as  then  con- 
*>  eluded,  (August  (3,  1521.)  The  evening  set  in  dark,  and  the  rain 
began  to  fall  before  the  several  parties  of  Spaniards  had  evacuated 
the  city.  During  the  night  a  tremendous  tempest,  such  as  the  Spaniards 
had  rarely  witnessed,  and  such  as  is  known  only  within  the  tropics, 
burst  over  the  Mexican  valley.  The  thunder  reverberating  from  the 
rocky  amphitheatre  of  hills,  bellowed  over  the  waste  of  waters,  and 
shook  the  teocallis  and  crazy  tenements  of  Tenochtitlan — the  few  that 
yet  survived — to  their  foundations.  The  lightning  seemed  to  cleave 
asunder  the  vault  of  heaven,  as  its  vivid  flashes  wrapped  the  whole 

*  Prescott,  vol.  iii.  p.  205.  t  Ibid.  viii.  p.  207 

L  16 


122  CONQUEST   BY   CORTEZ. 

scene  in  a  ghastly  glare,  for  a  moment,  to  be  again  swallowed  up  in 
darkness.  The  war  of  elements  was  in  unison  with  the  fortunes  of 
the  ruined  city.  It  seemed  as  if  the  deities  of  Anahuac,  scared  from 
their  ancient  abodes,  were  borne  along,  shrieking  and  howling  in  the 
blast,  as  they  abandoned  the  fallen  capital  to  its  fate  1" 

Cortes  immediately  assumed  to  himself  the  position  which  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Aztec  emperor,  as  supreme  .lord  of  Anahuac,  and 
commenced  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  of  Mexico  to  serve  for  his  own 
capital.  The  Indian  allies,  who  had  been  so  zealous  in  overturning 
the  edifices  which  so  adorned  it,  were  now  obliged  to  construct  others 
to  take  their  place.  The  buildings  they  erected  are  still  standing, 
beautiful  monuments  of  the  wisdom  of  the  conqueror,  whose  far-see 
ing  eye  looked  to  the  necessities  of  future  generations  while  occupied 
with  the  cares  of  the  present.  The  capital  occupied  four  years  in 
building,  during  which  time  the  lieutenants  of  Cortes  overran  the 
country,  enforcing  the  authority  of  their  leader,  and  exploring  eagerly 
for  the  precious  metals.  If  any  warlike  tribe  presumed  to  lift  its  hand 
against  the  new  rulers,  its  presumption  was  punished  with  more  than 
Aztec  severity,  as  a  rebellion. 

Yet  while  Cortes  was  consolidating  this  great  monarchy,  and  serving 
his  sovereign  with  such  successful  zeal,  it  was  his  singular  fate  not 
only  to  be  destitute  of  any  commission  or  authority  from  him,  but  to  be 
looked  upon  as  an  undutiful  and  seditious  subject.  Fonseca,  bishop 
of  Burgos,  whose  treatment  of  Columbus  and  his  son  would  alone  have 
secured  him  an  immortality  of  infamy,  was  the  relative  and  friend  of 
Velasquez,  and  consequently  the  most  determined  and  powerful  enemy 
of  Cortes.  The  emperor,  Charles  V.,  had  much  to  occupy  his  atten 
tion  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  in  his  absence  the  affairs  of  Spain  were 
chiefly  directed  by  the  emperor's  confessor,  Adrian,  who  afterwards 
became  pope.  This  prelate  was  induced  to  send  out  Christoval  de 
Tapia,  as  a  commissioner  to  supersede  Cortes,  seize  his  person,  con 
fiscate  his  effects,  and  institute  an  inquiry  into  his  proceedings,  the 
results  of  which  were  to  be  sent  to  the  council  of  the  Indies  in  Spain, 
of  which  Fonseca  was  the  president.  But  Cortes  was  too  good  a 
diplomatist  to  be  overcome  by  this  creature  of  his  enemies.  He  bribed, 
cajoled,  and  overawed  Tapia,  and  induced  him  to  leave  the  country 
he  was  unfit  to  govern,  even  though  he  went  to  Spain  to  prosecute 
the  cause  of  the  conqueror's  enemies  before  the  emperor.  Charles  had 
now  the  leisure  necessary  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  New  Spain ;  and 
he  appointed  a  tribunal  of  the  highest  integrity  and  talent  to  hear  the 
allegations  of  both  parties,  and  deal  out  justice  to  all  concerned.  Be 
fore  this  board  the  advocates  of  the  conqueror  argued  his  cause  with 
such  power  and  earnestness,  that  the  decision  in  favour  of  Cortes  was 


EXECUTION    OF    GUATEMOZIN. 


Charles   V. 

unanimous ;  his  acts  were  confirmed  in  their  fullest  extent,  and  he 
was  constituted  governor,  captain-general,  and  chief  justice  of  Ne\v 
Spain,  with  power  to  appoint  all  officers,  civil  and  military,  and  to 
order  any  person  to  leave  the  country  whose  residence  there  he  might 
deem  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  crown.  The  commission  of 
the  emperor,  confirming  Cortes  in  the  exercise  of  these  ample  powers, 
was  signed  at  Valladolid,  October  15,  1522. 

One  act  more  added  to  those  by  which  he  had  sullied  his  fame,  re 
mains  to  be  noticed.  This  was  his  final  injustice  to  the  unfortunate 
Guatemozin.  Sandoval  had  found  in  Panuco  an  enemy  as  formidable 
as  any  they  had  hitherto  encountered,  and  whose  determined  oppo 
sition  he  silenced  by  burning  sixty  caciques  and  four  hundred  of  their 
nobles.  This  act  of  cruelty,  more  atrocious  than  Alvarado's  massacre 
of  the  nobles  and  priests  in  the  temple  of  Mexico,  prepared  the  way 
for  another  dreadful  example  of  severity,  committed  by  Cortes  him 
self.  This  was  the  execution,  by  hanging,  of  the  unfortunate  Guate 
mozin,  and  the  two  caciques  of  Tezcuco  and  Tacuba,  who  were  put 
to  death  without  even  the  formality  of  a  trial,  because  they  were  sus 
pected,  on  slight  evidence,  of  being  concerned  in  a  scheme  for  re 
establishing  the  independence  of  their  country. 

The  accusations  of  his  enemies  caused  Cortes  to  return  to  Spain 
to  plead  his  own  cause  before  the  emperor.  He  was  kindly  received, 
and  his  acts  sanctioned,  and  he  returned  to  Mexico  in  1530.  In 
1540  he  again  went  to  the  mother  country,  where  he  died  in  1547, 
in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  During  his  government  of  the 
country,  he  discovered  California,  and  led  an  expedition  into  Hon- 


124 


CONQUEST   BY   CORTES. 


duras,  but  his  enterprises  were  less  successful  than  before,  and  he 
experienced  the  fate  of  all  who  distinguished  themselves  in  the  New 
World.  From  the  emperor  he  receive'd  cold  civility ;  from  his  min 
isters,  neglect  and  insolence  ;  from  nearly  all  his  cotemporaries,  envy 
and  malice,  and  from  succeeding  generations,  admiration  and  fame.* 

*  Every  one  who  wishes  for  complete,  detailed,  arid  accurate  information  respecting 
the  ancient  Mexicans,  the  conquest  by  Cortes,  and  the  subsequent  career  of  Cortes  him 
self,  should  consult  the  admirable  work  of  Mr.  Prescott,  to  which  we  have  so  frequently 
referred,  and  which  is  our  authority  for  the  facts  in  this  chapter.  It  is  not  only  the  best 
authority  on  the  subject,  but  it  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining  and  readable  books  in  the 
language. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


MEXICO    UNDER    THE    SPANIARDS. 


HE  first  thought  of  the  conquerors  was 
of  propagandism.     Cortes  had   seen, 
from  the  hour  of  landing  in  the  country, 
that  the  best  means  of  securing  the 
fidelity  of  the  natives  was  by  convert 
ing  them  to  Christianity,  and  though 
his  efforts  for  the  purpose  were  such  as 
a  soldier  might  be  expected  to  make, 
violent  and  brutal,  they  were  neverthe 
less  ardent  and  sincere.     He  and  his 
successors  had  no  mercy  for  the  Mexi 
can  faith.     The  idols  were  broken  and  burned ;  the  teocallis  were 
razed  to  the  ground ;  no  priest  was  spared.   Monks  of  both  the  orders 
of  St.  Francisco  and  St.  Augustine,  and  Dominican  friars,  flocked 
L2  (125) 


126  MEXICO    UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

to  the  country  during  the  age  succeeding  the  conquest ;  and,  carried 
forward  by  a  laudable  zeal,  extended  the  sway  of  the  church  beyond 
even  that  of  the  government.  Every  where  they  found  the  minds  of 
the  people  shaken  with  fear,  and  ready,  as  they  bent  in  submission 
to  the  strangers,  to  transfer  their  homage  from  Aztec  idols  to  the 
Christian's  Deity.  Cortes  had  availed  himself  of  the  ancient  tradi 
tion  respecting  Quetzalcoatl,  in  promoting  his  designs  against  the 
empire.  The  priests  went  further,  and  by  pious  frauds  endeavoured 
to  make  the  natives  believe  that  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  in 
America  at  a  very  early  period ;  they  found  traces  of  their  own 
faith  in  the  Aztec  code,  and  allowed  a  latitude  to  their  liturgy  hith 
erto  unexampled  in  the  history  of  the  church.  The  passion  of  the 
Indians  for  flowers  was  sanctified,  dances  and  disguises  were  allowed 
on  holidays,  even  in  the  interior  of  the  churches ;  the  sacred  eagle 
of  the  Aztecs  was  made  to  serve  as  an  introduction  for  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  and,  to  sum  up  all  in  a  word,  every  thing  to  which  the  In 
dians  were  attached  that  did  not  interfere  with  the  main  articles  of 
the  Christian  faith,  was  respected,  and  incorporated,  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent,  in  the  new  ritual.  This  spirit  of  accommodation  on  the 
part  of  the  clergy,  joined  to  the  settled  will  of  the  conquerors,  ex 
plains  the  rapid  spread  of  the  religion  of  the  cross  in  the  new  country, 
in  spite  of  the  ardent  attachment  of  the  Mexicans  to  the  polytheism 
of  their  ancestors.  According  to  Torquemada,  the  Franciscans  bap 
tized  six  millions  of  converts  in  the  period  extending  from  1524  to 
1540.  Guatemozin,  and  the  small  remnant  of  Mexican  nobles  who 
escaped  the  swords  of  the  Spaniards,  embraced  the  new  faith,  and 
the  royal  family  of  Tezcuco  did  the  same.  Perhaps  from  the  influ 
ence  of  the  character  and  precepts  of  the  wise  Nezahualcoyotl  and 
his  son,  their  successors  were  the  most  sincere  in  their  professions  of 
the  new  faith  ;  at  all  events,  Ixtlilxochitl,  the  chief  of  the  little  king 
dom,  the  son  of  Nezahualpilli,  and  the  faithful  ally  of  Cortes,  was  the 
most  distinguished  by  his  zeal  in  the  service  of  the  true  church.  He 
embraced  with  great  affection,  Father  Martin,  of  Valentia,  and  twelve 
monks  who  accompanied  him ;  lodged  them  in  the  palace  of  his  an 
cestors  ;  learned  from  them  with  wonderful  facility  the  mysteries  of 
the  cross  and  the  passion,  and  then,  taking  up  the  work  of  the  mis 
sionaries,  he  lectured  to  his  subjects,  and,  by  a  judicious  mixture  of 
precept  and  command,  soon  had  them  ready  for  baptism.  The  cere 
mony  of  baptizing  began  to  be  laborious,  and  the  monks  invented  an 
ingenious  plan  for  abridging  the  ceremony.  They  divided  the  mul 
titudes  into  classes,  and  conferred  the  same  name  at  the  same  time 
on  all  the  individuals  of  a  class. 

The  royal  preacher  was  even  more  zealous  than  the  churchmen 


CONVERSIONS   TO    CHRISTIANITY.  127 


Father  Martin,  of  Valentia. 

themselves.  The  old  queen,  his  mother,  held  firmly  to  the  worship 
of  her  gods,  and  was  in  consequence  in  great  danger  of  being  burned 
alive,  by  her  pious  son.  He  preached  to  her,  adduced  the  best  of 
reasons  for  embracing  the  new  faith,  and  finally  triumphed  over  her 
scruples  by  carrying  her  off  to  the  church,  where  she  was  baptized 
by  the  name  of  Mary. 

Notwithstanding  the  inutility  of  such  wholesale  conversion  as  re 
garded  many  of  its  subjects,  it  was  beneficial  in  so  far  as  it  abolished 
all  visible  signs  of  the  bloody  worship  of  the  Aztecs,  and  prepared 
the  way  for  the  rise  of  sentiments  of  a  purer  cast  in  the  bosoms  of 
the  natives.  The  violent  zeal  of  the  bishops  is  more  clearly  seen  to 
have  been  good  policy,  when  we  learn  that  such  of  the  temples  as 
were  hidden  in  the  woods  and  mountains,  and  escaped  destruction 
at  the  hands  of  the  Christians,  had  their  regular  attendants  for  many 
years,  some  of  whom,  though  they  had  received  the  Christian  sign 
on  their  foreheads,  preserved  their  attachment  to  their  first  faith  in 
their  hearts.  There  were  thousands  of  them,  however,  who  weie 
sincere  in  their  conversion,  and  who  retained  only  one  feature  of 
their  ancient  religion,  their  excessive  veneration  for  its  ministers, 
which  they  transferred  to  the  Christian  priests.  These  warriors  of 
the  cross  constantly  opposed  their  authority  to  the  rapacious  and 
pitiless  soldiers  of  Castile. 


128  MEXICO   UNDER   THE   SPANIARDS. 

HEY  stood  between  the  conquerors  and 
the  vanquished,  extended  the  cross  be 
tween  the  sword  and  the  victim,  pro 
tected  weakness  and  misfortune  every 
where  ;  and  every  where  weakness  and 
misfortune  clung  to  them  as  the  tender 
ivy  clasps  the  sturdy  oak  on  which  it 
creeps.  For  ages  the  poor  Indians 
pronounced  with  the  greatest  love  and 
veneration  the  names  of  Sahagun  and  Las  Casas.  The  first,  whose 
Franciscan  name  of  Sahagun  was  derived  from  the  city  of  his  birth, 
arrived  in  Mexico,  in  1529,  and  immediately  resolved  to  consecrate 
his  life  to  consoling,  instructing,  and  improving  the  condition  of  the 
unfortunate  natives.  He  studied  the  Aztec  language  with  such  suc 
cess  that  the  learned  among  them  regarded  him  as  a  classic  model, 
and  the  remnants  of  the  kindred  dynasties  of  Mexico  and  Tezcuco, 
made  him  their  patron  and  their  friend.  Antonio  de  Mendoza,  the 
first  viceroy  of  Mexico,  was  prevailed  upon  by  the  representations 
of  the  good  father  to  found  a  college  for  the  instruction  of  the  young 
Indians,  who  were  in  turn  to  educate  their  countrymen.  He  spread 
abroad  a  feeling  of  enmity  towards  all  who  were  interested  in  bru 
talizing  the  people,  and  the  good  father  was  always  found  where  injury 
was  to  be  combatted,  griefs  consoled,  or  misery  solaced.  His  death 
was  a  calamity  deeply  felt  and  long  mourned  by  his  unfortunate 
friends. 

The  famous  Las  Casas  rivalled  him  in  his  indefatigable  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  humanity,  and  by  his  importunities  and  representations,  the 
Spanish  and  papal  sovereigns  were  induced  to  extend  protection  to 
the  Indians  by  the  authority  of  their  edicts.  These  were  not  much 
respected,  in  the  first  ages  after  the  conquest,  it  is  true,  and  similar 
ordinances  had  to  be  issued  from  time  to  time,  for  the  same  purpose, 
but  they  were  useful  in  establishing  as  law  the  principle,  that,  though 
legally  disabled  from  participating  in  the  government,  the  natives 
were  still  freed  from  vassalage  and  from  burdensome  taxes. 

They  afterwards  came  under  the  protection  of  the  priests,  who 
exercised  their  patronage  with  laudable  humanity.  But  in  the  first 
years  after  the  conquest,  the  court  of  Madrid  was  unable  to  make  its 
authority  rigidly  respected  in  America,  and  Mexican  history  presents 
a  period  of  military  anarchy,  in  which  force  and  caprice  usurped  the 
place  of  right.  All  landholders,  except  the  small  number  of  nobles, 
admitted  into  the  Spanish  army,  or  whom  alliance  with  the  con 
querors  protected,  were  despoiled.  To  this  poor  nobility  and  its  vas 
sals  were  left  only  a  small  portion  of  land  amone:  the  churches. 


CONDITION    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 


129 


Las  Casas. 

The  aborigines  were  employed  as  beasts  of  burden,  to  carry  bag 
gage  and  drag  cannon,  and,  as  auxiliary  troops,  were  placed  in  the 
front  rank  to  receive  the  first  weight  of  the  enemy's  onset.  In  the 
early  expeditions  of  the  conquerors  they  fought  for  their  tyrants 
against  their  brothers,  and  death  in  its  most  awful  forms,  famine,  and 
pestilence,  swept  them  from  the  land. 

At  length,  when  their  total  extinction  seemed  not  far  distant,  the 
decrees  of  the  Spanish  court  began  to  be  executed,  and  the  oppres 
sion  of  the  Indians  was  regulated,  slavery  took  legal  forms.  The 
natives  were  attached  to  the  soil,  and  shared  out  with  it  among  the 
distinguished  soldiers  of  the  conquest,  and  the  officers  sent  out  from 
the  mother  country  to  govern  the  province,  by  means  of  encomiendas 
or  fiefs.  The  holders  of  these  fiefs,  encomienderos,  fortunately  did 
not  imitate  the  feudatory  lords  of  Europe  in  the  building  of  fortresses, 
but  contented  themselves  by  creating  haciendas  or  large  farms,  in 
which  they  lived  in  dwellings  constructed  after  the  fashion  of  the 
Aztec  nobility.  No  attempt  was  made  to  change  the  productions  of 
the  soil,  and  the  mass  of  the  people  remained  as  before  the  conquest, 
poor  and  debased.  They  worked  contentedly  for  their  masters, 
attached  themselves  to  their  interests,  and  often  assumed  their  names. 
Fortunately  for  them,  their  conquerors  possessed  neither  the  funds 

17 


130  MEXICO   UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

nor  the  knowledge  necessary  for  mining,  and  consequently  they  were 
not  forced  to  bury  themselves  under  ground.  The  earth  dragged  from 
the  mountains  by  the  rivers  and  torrents  was  washed  for  its  gold,  but 
the  mines  were  undiscovered  for  many  years  after  the  conquest,  and 
brought  but  little  to  those  who  first  worked  them.  What  a  great 
gain  to  humanity! 

HE  lot  of  the  Indians,  up  to  the  eighteenth 
century,  was  much  the  same  with  that  of  the. 
European  serfs ;  but  since  then  it  has  gradu 
ally  improved.  The  families  of  the  con 
querors  became  extinct,  the  encomiendas 
were  not  distributed  anew,  and  the  viceroys, 
careful  of  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  declared 
them  free,  and  recognized  their  right,  as  they 
belonged  to  themselves,  to  dispose  of  their 
own  persons.  The  mita,  forced  working  in  the 
mines,  was  abolished,  and  this  kind  of  labour 
became  voluntary  and  compensated.  A  curious 
system  of  abuse,  however,  existed  long  in  the  country.  This  arose 
from  the  repartimientos,  or  forced  sales  made  to  the  Indians  by  Spa 
nish  agents.  A  debt  incurred  by  an  Indian  could  be  collected  by 
reducing  him  to  servitude,  and  when  a  Spaniard  desired  to  buy  an 
Indian,  he  had  only  to  sell  him  a  mule,  a  saddle,  or  a  cloak,  at  any 
price  he  chose,  and  take  the  unfortunate  fellow  himself  in  payment. 
Charles  the  Third  of  Spain,  who  in  many  ways  proved  himself  the 
benefactor  of  the  Americans,  put  an  end  to  this  infamous  system.  • 

For  many  years  after  the  conquest,  the  spirit  of  independence  agi 
tated  many  of  the  warlike  nations  of  Mexico,  and  the  Spanish  vice 
roys  were  obliged  to  be  continually  on  their  guard  against  them. 
Of  these,  the  Chichimecs  were  most  distinguished  for  their  desperate 
resistance  to  the  Spanish  yoke.  They  were  the  most  savage  tribe 
yet  encountered  in  America,  and  their  ferocity  was  rendered  still 
more  formidable  by  their  admirable  discipline.  Living  in  the  forests 
on  the  products  of  nature  and  the  chase,  they  became  excellent 
archers  and  hardened  warriors,  and  in  battle  they  fought  with  a  sys 
tem  and  order  unknown  to  any  other  Mexican  tribe.  They  formed 
their  army  into  battalions,  seven  men  deep  ;  their  ranks  were  close ; 
their  movements  regular ;  and  their  whole  field  exercise  so  complete, 
that  the  Spaniards  were  disposed  to  think  that  a  refugee  from  their 
own  nation  had  been  instructing  them  in  the  art  of  war.  They  were 
not  content  in  battle  with  beating  back  an  assaulting  enemy ;  they 
followed  up  their  success  in  good  order,  until  the  camp  of  the  enemy 
was  in  their  possession,  and  the  fugitives  beyond  their  reach,  when 


DEATH    OF    ALVARADO. 


13. 


Defeat  of  the  Quiches. 


they  returned  to  their  families  to  exhibit,  as  trophies  of  their  prowess, 
the  scalps  of  the  slaughtered  foe.  While  the  other  nations  of  Ana- 
huac  had  been  weakened  in  the  conflicts  with  the  Spaniards,  and 
each  other,  the  Chichimecs  had  been  gradually  increasing  in  power 
and  numbers,  and  they  at  length  advanced  to  within  fifteen  leagues 
of  the  capital,  in  the  province  of  Xalisco.  The  Spaniards  fitted  out 
an  expedition  from  Mexico  under  Christoval  de  Onate,  to  conquer 
them.  He  experienced  a  complete  overthrow,  however,  and  de 
spatched  couriers  for  aid  to  Alvarado,  who  hastened  from  his  pro 
vince  of  Guatimala  to  succour  him.  The  war  was  continued  with  the 
most  desperate  bravery  on  both  sides,  until  the  death  of  Alvarado. 
This  was  occasioned  by  an  accident  met  with  in  battle.  The  enemy 
occupied  a  rocky  mountain  height,  from  which  the  assailants  made 
repeated  efforts  to  expel  them.  In  one  of  these  engagements,  a 
horse  stumbled  and  rolled  headlong  down  a  steep  declivity;  Alvarado 
happened  to  be  ascending  the  same  hill,  and  was  unable  to  get  out 
of  the  way  of  the  rolling  horse,  which  carried  him  down  and  lay 
upon  him  when  both  reached  the  bottom.  He  was  so  badly  crushed 
by  the  fall,  and  the  irritation  of  his  wounds  caused  by  being  carried  a 
three  days'  journey  for  medical  help,  that  he  shortly  afterwards  expired. 
Alvarado  had  pursued  a  career  since  the  conquest  of  Mexico  only 


132 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  SPANIARDS. 


Celebration  of  the  founding  of  St.  Jago. 

'ess  glorious  than  that  of  Cortes  himself.  Despatched  by  Cortes  to 
conquer  Guatimala,  he  commenced  his  march  in  1523,  with  thirty- 
five  horsemen,  three  hundred  infantry,  two  hundred  Tlascalans  and 
Cholulans,  a  hundred  Mexicans,  and  four  pieces  of  artillery. 

In  Tecum  Uman,  the  king  of  the  Quiches,  he  found  an  enemy 
worthy  to  be  dreaded  by  any  of  the  great  captains  of  the  age.  He 
assembled  an  army  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  men,  and  as 
the  Spaniards  advanced  through  the  Cordilleras,  met  them  at  every 
pass,  and  disputed  their  passage  with  the  most  heroic  determination ; 
and  the  slaughter  was  so  great  that  the  very  river  ran  red  from  the 
blood  poured  into  it  from  the  mountains.  At  length  the  main  body 
of  the  Quiches  and  the  Spaniards  met  in  a  pitched  battle  on  the  open 
plain.  The  king  boldly  singled  out  Alvarado,  and  offered  him  battle 
in  person :  it  was  accepted,  and  the  royal  hero  fell  a  victim  to  his 
gallantry.  His  subjects  continued  the  battle,  however,  and  avenged 
Ids  death  by  killing  many  of  their  enemies.  They  lost  the  battle, 
however,  and  the  new  king  attempted  to  destroy  his  enemy  by  strata 
gem.  He  was  detected,  however,  and  himself  inveigled  by  Alvarado 
into  a  snare,  made  prisoner,  and  hung.  The  Quiches  renewed  the 
war,  and  were  only  subdued  after  repeated  and  terrible  defeats. 

When  they  had  once  submitted  to  his  yoke,  they  proved  as  ser 
viceable  to  him  in  establishing  his  authority  over  the  whole  country, 
as  the  Tlascalans  had  been  to  Cortes,  and  the  boldness  and  rapacity 
which  had  marked  his  course  in  Mexico,  being  tempered  by  the 


ERECTION    OF    CITIES. 


133 


Pizarro. 


lessons  of  prudence  and  watchfulness  taught  him  there  by  disaster, 
fitted  him  for  the  arduous  duty. 

He  founded  the  city  of  St.  Jago  on  the  25th  of  July,  1524,  as  the 
permanent  seat  of  his  new  colony,  and  returned  from  his  successive 
expeditions  laden  with  wealth  and  covered  with  glory.  Pursuing 
the  course  of  conquest  so  brilliantly  opened  to  him,  he  marched  into 
South  America,  where  he  encountered  the  forces  of  Pizarro.  That 
officer,  however,  avoided  hostilities,  and  purchased  the  retreat  of  Al- 
varado  by  a  magnificent  present.  In  the  full  tide  of  prosperity,  how 
ever,  the  generous  soldier  gallantly  marched  to  assist  a  brother 
Spaniard  in  distress,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  met  his  death,  leaving  the 
companions  he  had  so  often  led  to  victory  inconsolable  at  his  loss. 

More  than  two  years  of  fighting  were  necessary  to  overcome  this 
able  tribe,  and  their  final  reduction  was  only  effected  when  the  vice 
roy,  Mendoza,  summoned  to  his  aid  a  host  of  fifty  thousand  Indians 
of  Tlascala,  Cholula,  and  Tepeaca,  who  seem  to  have  had  for  their 
mission  the  conquest  of  all  Anahuac  for  the  crown  of  Castile.  Con 
quered,  but  unsubjected,  the  Chichimecs  long  remained  formidable, 
and  the  city  of  San  Miguel  was  built,  and  those  of  Durango  and  San 
Sebastian  enlarged,  as  a  means  of  protection  against  them.  There 
were,  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  partial  revolts  against  the  Spanish 
M 


134 


MEXICO    UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 


Priests  welcoming  the  arrival  of  Soldiers. 

authority,  but  these  were  generally  suppressed  without  difficulty,  and 
only  served  to  render  the  Spanish  yoke  more  heavy. 

Meanwhile  new  cities  were  erected  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
new  populations  came  from  Spain,  Cuba,  and  Saint  Domingo, 
attracted  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  pursuit  of  commerce,  which 
reaped  many  harvests ;  by  the  demand  for  the  productions  of  the  new 
country,  sugar,  cocoa,  cochineal,  indigo,  and  cotton ;  and,  above  all, 
by  the  desire  of  discovering  natural  sources  of  wealth,  mines  of  gold 
and  silver.  The  viceroys  encouraged  all  private  enterprises  for  these 
purposes,  and  the  exploration  and  development  of  the  new  province 
was  chiefly  effected  in  this  manner.  The  missionaries,  too,  did  much 
to  widen  the  limits  of  the  empire.  Entering  the  territories  of  hostile 
nations  in  the  fearlessness  which  usually  accompanies  a  high  sense 
of  duty,  they  induced  the  unconquerable  natives  to  submit  to  then 
spiritual  sway,  by  the  holiness  of  their  lives,  the  gentleness  of  their 
demeanour,  and  their  incessant,  judicious  exhortations.  The  work 
of  conversion  accomplished,  to  welcome  their  countrymen  in  arms, 
and  transfer  the  civil  allegiance  of  those  whom  they  had  reduced  to 
spiritual  subjection,  was  attended  with  little  difficulty.  Other  expe 
ditions  were  also  undertaken  to  extend  the  jurisdiction  of  the  vice 
roys.  Alvaro  Nunez,  surnamed  Cabeca  de  Vaca,  (one  of  three  hun 
dred  Spaniards  who  had  landed  with  Narvaez  in  Florida,  and, 


MARCODENIZZA.  135 


Marco  de  Nizza. 

escaping  with  three  others  from  the  massacre  of  the  detachment,  wan 
dered  several  years  across  Louisiana  and  Mexico  to  the  coast  of  the 
province  of  La  Sonora,)  published,  in  1537,  a  mendacious  account 
of  his  thousand  hairbreadth  escapes,  and  the  wonderful  nations  and 
countries  he  had  visited.  Others,  highly  gifted  with  credulity  and 
powers  of  the  imagination,  added  to  his  account  by  stating  that  God 
had  contributed  to  his  escape  by  giving  him  power  to  heal  the  sick, 
and  even  to  raise  the  dead,  to  which  the  modest  hero  added  a  state 
ment,  forgotten  in  his  first  narrative,  that  the  coast  of  California  was 
carpeted  with  pearls.  Scarcely  less  marvellous  was  the  account  of 
Marco  de  Nizza,  a  monk,  whom  Las  Casas  had  caused  to  be  sent  to 
convert  the  Indians  of  La  Sonora. 

This  functionary  penetrated  far  to  the  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Califor 
nia,  and  returned  to  give  a  picture  of  the  civilization  of  the  country, 
replete  with  the  most  fantastic  colouring.  He  described  the  city  of 
Cibola  and  seven  others,  all  imaginary,  whose  houses  were  of  stone, 
t\vo  stories  high,  with  the  doors  enriched  with  turquoises,  and  whose 
inhabitants  ate  out  of  gold  plates.  Charity  towards  the  holy  father 
compels  us  to  admit  the  supposition  which  some  have  advanced,  that 
the  stories  of  Cibola  and  the  seven  sister  cities  grew  out  of  an  ardent 
imagination,  and  the  ill  understood  accounts  of  the  savages  of  the 
Casas  Grandes  of  the  Rio  Gila,  a  supposed  station  of  the  Aztecs, 


136  MEXICO   UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

whose  ruins  are  said,  by  a  recent  traveller,  to  be  those  of  a  city  capable 
of  containing  twenty  thousand  inhabitants. 

The  stories  of  Marco  de  Nizza  led  to  an  expedition  under  Vasque/ 
de  Coronado,  whose  miraculous  account  of  his  adventures,  establishes 
only  this  truth,  that  he  encountered  a  brave  and  hostile  people,  whose 
hard  knocks  reminded  him  so  unpleasantly  of  the  warm  embraces  of 
a  young  and  wealthy  wife  whom  he  had  left  behind  him,  that  he 
abandoned  the  scheme  of  conquest  in  disgust,  and  hastened  to  return 
to  her. 

The  intrepid  Francisco  Ybarra  was  more  skilful  and  successful  in 
the  career  of  adventurous  cupidity  than  his  predecessors.  After 
having,  by  order  of*  the  viceroy,  Velasco,  visited  and  pacified  a  part 
of  the  country  of  Zacatecas,  he  discovered  the  mines  of  Saint  Mar 
tin  and  Saint  Luke  de  Avino.  To  secure  their  possession  he  laid, 
between  Zacatecas  and  Santa  Barbara,  the  foundations  of  a  succes 
sion  of  cities,  then  gaining  by  the  orth  the  valley  of  the  Gaudiana, 
where  the  city  of  Durango  was  being  built,  he  ran  over  the  provinces 
of  Topia  and  Sinaloa  with  a  handful  of  brave  followers,  marking  his 
passage  by  high  deeds  of  arms  and  new  colonies,  to  which  he  left  a 
few  men  for  garrisons,  thus  carrying  the  Spanish  power  a  hundred 
leagues  into  the  country  where  its  name  had  hardly  yet  pene 
trated.  He  afterwards  returned  to  found  the  colony  of  Chiametta, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  rich  mines  of  silver.  The  metallic  vein  of 
Tasco  was  the  first  worked.  Soon  after  those  of  Sultepee,  Hapuja- 
hua,  and  Pachuca,  were  opened.  The  exploring  of  the  different 
mines  of  Zacatecas  followed  immediately. 

THOSE  of  Santa  Barbara 
were  attacked  in  1548.  About 
this  time  some  mule  drivers, 
travelling  from  Mexico  to  Za 
catecas,  discovered  the  silver 
mines  of  the  district  of  Gua- 
naxuato.  The  principal  vein, 
the  Veta  Madre,  was  found  in 
1560.  The  mines  of  Coman- 
jas  are  believed  to  be  still 
older  than  those  of  Guanaxuato.  In  these  early  days,  however,  the 
mines  were  not  worked  with  any  great  activity,  for  though  cupidity 
was  not  wanting,  the  necessary  capital  and  means  of  extracting  the 
ore  were  not  to  be  had.  Up  to  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  the  produce  of  all  the  mines  of  Mexico,  did  not  amount 
to  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  marks  of  gold  and  silver  per 
annum. 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF   THE    INQUISITION.        137 


The  discovery  and  colonization  of  New  Mexico,  the  most  northern 
part  of  New  Spain,  form  part  of  the  history  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
Here  again  the  holy  fathers  of  the  church  formed  the  van-guard, 
the  armed  expedition  of  Captain  Espejo  following  that  of  the  pious 
father  Augustin  Ruiz,  who  perished  a  victim  to  his  great  religious 
zeal.  According  to  the  captain's  report,  he  found  the  country  inha 
bited  by  a  people  who  had  already  made  considerable  advances  on 
the  road  to  civilization.  These  small  savage  nations  appeared,  from 
their  weapons  and  domestic  customs,  to  be  remotely  allied  to  the 
Aztec  race ;  but  the  resemblance  may  have  chiefly  consisted  in  the 
remoteness  of  both  from  the  enlightenment  of  the  Europeans.  Espejo 
gave  an  account  of  them  abounding  in  fable,  which  was  readily  be 
lieved  by  the  governors  of  New  Spain.  Don  Juan  de  Onate  received 
a  commission  to  take  possession  of  his  country  and  colonize  it,  which 
he  did  in  the  last  year  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  banks  of  the 
Rio  del  Norte  were  peopled  with  Europeans,  and  the  seventeenth 
century  was  commenced  by  an  effort  on  the  part  of  Christianity  to 
extend  its  influence  over  the  Indians,  to  plant  the  cross  in  the  midst 
of  savages  who  were  then  and  are  yet  the  terror  of  the  Spanish  race. 
From  their  constant  hostility  has  arisen  the  want  of  equilibrium  in 
the  population  of  New  Mexico,  the  effect  of  the  people  clustering 
round  the  towns  and  cities  as  a  means  of  defence. 

HILE  New  Spain  was  thus  extending 
her  limits,  the  provincial  council  of 
1585  laid  in  Mexico  the  foundation 
of  the  organization  and  discipline  of 
the  church,  and  proceeded  to  reforms 
which  met  the  approval  of  Sextus  V. 
Among  these  was  the  repeal  of  a  de 
cree  made  by  a  council  which  had 
assembled  thirty  years  before,  that  no 
native  should  become  a  priest.  The 
baseness  of  their  condition  might,  it 
was  feared,  throw  discredit  upon  the 
ecclesiastical  state  ;  but  the  council  of  1585,  provided  for  the  admis 
sion  of  the  aborigines  to  the  sacred  orders,  at  first,  it  is  true,  under 
severe  restrictions,  which,  as  time  wore  away,  these  came  to  be  dis 
regarded,  and  the  red  race  numbered  the  greater  part  of  the  clergy 
at  the  time  of  the  revolution.  The  Inquisition  also  established  itself 
in  Mexico  during  the  sixteenth  century.  The  fiscal  arrangements 
of  the  church  began  to  be  oppressive  to  the  poor  Indians,  who  at 
first  attempted  revolt;  but  found  that  this  only  made  their  burden 
heavier,  and  therefore  adopted  quiet  submission  as  their  best  policy. 
M2  18 


138  MEXICO   UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

The  Spanish  government  also  injured  their  lot,  by  forbidding  them, 
upon  pain  of  death,  to  cultivate  the  vine  or  the  olive  tree,  and 
reserving  to  herself  a  monopoly  of  other  branches  of  agriculture,  and 
many  of  the  most  productive  manufactures.  Two  visitations  of  con 
tagion  in  1545  and  1577,  carried  off  two  millions  five  hundred  thou 
sand  of  the  poor  aborigines. 

PAIN,  anxious  to  hide  from  the  other 
nations  of  Europe,  all  the  riches  of  her 
conquests  in  the  New  World,  shrouded 
with    mystery   every   thing    connected 
The  only  accounts  Of  Mexico  at 

this  early  day,  are  such  as  were  published  by 
travellers,  who  drew  upon  their  imaginations 
for  the  greater  part  of  their  facts,  and  in  whose 
statements  not  the  least  reliance  can  be  placed. 
The  principal  authority  for  the  internal  affairs  of 
this  inaccessible  country  during  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  is  the  work  of  Thomas  Gage,  whose  severity  in  handling  the 
Mexican  priesthood,  may  furnish  an  explanation  of  the  zeal  with 
which  his  work  was  decried.  He  introduces  his  readers  into  the 
convents  and  religious  institutions  of  New  Spain,  and  describes  the 
monks  as  greedy  of  riches  and  worldly  pleasures,  and  winking  at  the 
excesses  of  the.  people  in  order  to  get  their  wealth  into  their  own 
coffers.  The  fathers  of  mercy  are  exhibited  to  us  as  they  proceed  to 
the  election  of  a  new  provincial,  disputing  in  the  commencement,  and 
terminating  by  a  conflict  with  knives.  On  either  side,  the  good  monks 
displayed  so  lively  a  zeal  in  the  cause  of  their  favourite  candidate,  that 
the  intervention  of  the  viceroy  and  his  guard  became  necessary  in 
order  to  prevent  the  election  from  terminating  even  less  canonically. 

The  same  traveller  tells  us  another  story,  which  speaks  very 
favourably  for  the  compassion  of  the  priesthood  for  the  people. 
However  heavy  they  made  the  ecclesiastical  yoke,  they  were  not 
willing  that  the  viceroys  should  add,  in  any  considerable  degree,  to 
the  civil  burden  of  the  natives.  In  1624,  there  occurred  a  great 
struggle  between  the  archbishop,  Alonzo  de  Zerna,  and  the  viceroy, 
the  Marquis  de  Gelves.  The  latter  was  an  able  governor,  strictly 
just,  and  the  terror  of  all  evil  doers,  yet  unfortunately  the  qualities 
of  a  good  statesman  were  tarnished  by  his  insatiable  avarice.  His 
cupidity  inspired  him  with  a  desire  of  speculating  in  corn,  and  his 
agent,  Don  Pedro  Mexio,  equally  avaricious  with  himself,  rich  and 
very  adroit,  purchased  all  the  harvest  in  the  countries  near  the  capital, 
and  when  master  of  the  market,  fixed  the  price  at  what  he  pleased. 
The  starving  people  came  to  the  viceroy  for  redress.  But  he  was  ^ 


FLIGHT   OF   THE    VICEROY.  139 

party  to  the  transaction,  and  of  course  they  were  not  listened  to. 
They  then  applied  to  the  archbishop,  whose  only  means  of  assistance 
was  spiritual  thunder,  very  great  quantities  of  which  were  fulminated 
against  the  offender.  Mexio  was  excommunicated.  He  raised  the 
price  of  corn.  The  prelate  laid  the  capital  under  an  interdict ;  a  very 
unselfish  measure,  when  it  is  considered  that  he  thereby  cut  off  from 
the  church  revenues  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars  daily,  which 
would  have  been  received  for  the  saying  of  masses. 

The  viceroy  in  vain  attempted  to  have  the  interdict  taken  off,  and 
therefore  ordered  the  arrest  of  the  archbishop  as  a  disturber  of  the 
public  peace  and  guilty  of  high  treason.  The  bishop  took  refuge  in 
his  cathedral  as  in  an  inviolable  asylum,  put  on  his  robes  of  office, 
and  placed  himself  on  the  steps  of  the  altar,  holding  in  one  hand  the 
holy  sacrament,  and  in  the  other  his  crozier.  But  one  Tirol,  the  chief 
of  the  officers  of  justice,  whose  familiarity  with  crime  had  probably 
seared  his  conscience,  speedily  convinced  the  worthy  prelate  of  the 
weakness  of  his  defences,  by  arresting  him.  The  viceroy  then  con 
ducted  him,  under  a  strong  guard,  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  shipped  him  to 
Spain  in  a  state  vessel.  But  the  priests  inveighed  against  this  high 
handed  measure,  and  roused  the  passions  of  the  mob,  who  attempted 
to  wreak  their  vengeance  on  Tirol.  He  fled  for  safety  to  the  palace 
of  the  viceroy,  and  thereby  turned  the  tide  of  popular  resentment 
against  that  officer  himself.  The  mob  burst  open  the  prison  doors, 
and  receiving  an  accession  to  their  force  from  its  inmates,  prepared 
to  storm  the  palace.  The  viceroy  had  the  royal  standard  raised, 
and  the  trumpet  blown,  as  a  signal  of  danger  to  the  Spaniards.  But 
they  were  equally  opposed  to  a  monopoly  of  the  corn  market,  and  no 
one  moved  in  any  manner  to  effect  his  deliverance.  He  therefore  fled 
in  the  disguise  of  a  monk,  while  the  mob  overpowered  his  little  guard, 
broke  into  the  palace,  and  pillaged  it.  The  viceroy  remained  in  the 
convent  where  he  first  found  refuge,  for  the  rest  of  the  year.  Alarmed 
at  such  a  wicked  example,  the  court  of  Spain  hastened  to  send  out  a 
new  viceroy,  with  an  inquisition  of  Valladolid,  charged  to  punish 
those  concerned  in  the  rebellion.  These  were  so  many,  and  persons 
of  so  great  importance  besides,  that  he  was  obliged  to  content  him 
self  with  hanging  a  few  miserable  wretches,  who  ought  to  have  re 
joiced  at  their  deliverance  from  the  ills  of  life,  and  with  deposing 
some  of  the  public  functionaries. 

On  this  occasion,  however,  the  Creoles  and  red  men  gave  vent  to 
their  hatred  of  the  metropolitan  government,  and  indicated  what  might 
be  expected  of  them  should  an  opportunity  occur  for  shaking  off  the 
Spanish  yoke. 

Another  evidence  of  the  regard  of  the  priests  for  the  people  wa« 


140  MEXICO    UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

given  by  the  Archbishop  Manzo  y  Zuniga,  who,  when  the  city  o£ 
Mexico  was  inundated  by  the  waters  of  the  lake,  distinguished  him 
self  by  his  benevolence.  The  city  had  suffered  from  the  rising  of  the 
waters  in  1553,  1580,  1604,  and  1607,  and  repeated  attempts  had 
been  made  to  avert  the  danger.  At  one  time  sixteen  thousand  na 
tives  were  employed  upon  the  construction  of  an  aqueduct,  which, 
however,  was  abandoned  before  completion,  in  consequence  of  the 
preference  given  by  the  court  at  Madrid  to  a  Dutchman  named  Adrien 
Boot,  who  proposed  to  prevent  all  damage  by  a  system  of  dikes, 
which  was,  in  fact,  the  Indian  system.  On  the  20th  of  June,  1629, 
the  city  of  Mexico  was  inundated  to  the  depth  of  more  than  three 
feet.*  The  inundation  lasted  five  years,  during  which  time  the  misery 
of  the  lower  classes  was  very  great.  The  streets  were  only  passable 
in  boats ;  and  day  after  day  the  good  archbishop  might  be  seen  pad 
dling  about  in  his  canoe,  as  he  bore  bread  and  blessings  to  the  un 
fortunate  and  suffering  poor.  At  length  the  viceroy  caused  the 
image  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe  to  be  brought  to  the  city  of  Mex 
ico,  and  paraded  about  the  streets,  to  which  circumstance,  as  well 
as  to  an  earthquake,  which  happened  about  this  time,  and  changed 
very  much  the  surface  of  the  valley,  so  as  to  form  a  natural  drain,  is 
no  doubt  owing  the  deliverance  of  the  city,  in  1634. 

N  the  year  1680,  the  attention  of  the  bucca 
neers  was  attracted  to  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and 
three  years  afterwards  two  Dutchmen,  and  a 
Frenchman,  named  Grammont,  made  a  descent 
upon  new  Vera  Cruz,  at  the  head  of  twelve 
hundred  men.  They  entered  the  city  in  the 
night;  Graff,  one  of  the  leaders,  seized  the 
fortress,  with  its  twelve  guns,  and  turned  them 
on  the  city.  The  Spaniards,  aroused  by  the 
artillery,  flew  to  arms,  and  a  severe  contest  ensued,  in  which  the 
buccaneers  were  victorious.  They  took  a  great  many  prisoners,  some 
of  them  the  most  noble  and  wealthy  citizens.  These  they  shut  up  in 
a  church,  so  disposed  that  they  could  blow  it  up  at  any  time,  and 
then  pillaged  the  city,  bearing  all  the  valuables  to  their  vessels.  They 
secured  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  this  way,  and 
then  bargained  with  their  prisoners  for  a  ransom.  They  at  length 
freed  them,  on  receiving  two  millions  of  piastres,  and  sailed  away 
with  their  booty.  Two  years  afterwards  the  same  adventurers,  under 
the  command  of  Grammont,  captured  Campeachy,  where  they  re 
mained  two  months,  employed  in  pillage.  During  this  time,  Gram- 

*  A  meter. 


THE    JESUITS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  141 

mont  celebrated  the  festival,  in  commemoration  of  St.  Louis  of  France, 
by  burning,  in  a  bonfire,  dyewood  to  the  value  of  a  million  of 
francs. 

~-v  N  the  Pacific  coast,  Mexico  was  more  for 
tunate.  There  the  Jesuit  missionaries 
advanced  to  the  peaceful  conquest  of 
)  California,  about  which  very  little  had,  up 
to  this  time  been  known.  These  zealous 
Christians  had  to  struggle  against  every  difficulty, 
the  rivalry  and  enmity  of  the  Franciscans,  the  con 
dition  of  the  savages,  and  the  want  of  protection 
from  their  government.  They  steadily  prosecuted  their  labours, 
however,  and  in  time  obtained  a  complete  triumph.  Theyjiot  only 
converted  the  natives,  and  obtained  for  themselves  the  spiritual 
government  of  California,  but  all  the  soldiers  sent  into  the  country 
were  under  the  orders  of  the  spiritual  father.  From  1697  to  1721, 
they  were  particularly  active  in  exploring  the  coasts,  and  determin 
ing  the  character  of  the  peninsula,  its  geological  features,  and  the 
nature  of  its  productions. 

The  Jesuits  were  the  conquerors  of  the  country.  They  subdued  it 
with  their  most  powerful  weapon,  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Their  esta 
blishments,  during  the  first  sixty  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  were 
in  full  progress.  There  were  then  sixteen  principal  missions,  on 
which  more  than  forty  villages  were  dependent.  The  Jesuits  dis 
played  in  the  work  of  civilization,  apostolic  zeal ;  commercial 
industry,  prudent  and  wise  administration,  and  the  activity  to  which 
so  much  of  their  success  is  to  be  attributed,  and  which  exposed  them 
to  so  many  calamities  in  the  Indies.  Fanaticism  did  not  guide  their 
steps.  They  came  among  the  savages  of  California  with  toys  and 
curiosities  to  amuse  them,  and  wheat  to  nourish  them.  The  hatred 
of  this  people  for  the  Spanish  name  was  vanquished  by  the  benevo 
lence  of  their  instructers.  They  made  themselves  carpenters, 
masons,  weavers,  architects,  and  agriculturalists.  Since  their  expul 
sion,  in  1767,  the  administration  of  California  was  confided  to  the 
Dominicans  of  Mexico,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  missions  vanished 
with  their  skilful  founders. 

The  whole  of  the  territories  held  by  the  Spaniards  in  America  was 
divided  into  four  viceroyalties,  Mexico,  Peru,  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
New  Grenada ;  and  five  captain-generalships,  Yucatan,  Guatimala, 
Venezuela,  Chili,  and  the  Island  of  Cuba.  The  captain-generals 
were  independent  of  the  viceroys,  and  these  latter  of  each  other 
In  Mexico,  the  viceroy  was  invested  with  royal  prerogatives,  and 
tonsidered  as  alter  ego  of  the  king  himself.  The  only  checks  upon 


142  MEXICO   UNDER  THE   SPANIARDS. 

his  authority  were  the  Residencia  and  the  Jludiencia,  one  a  legal 
investigation  into  his  conduct,  which  might  be  instituted  by  the  king 
on  his  return  to  the  mother  country,  and  the  other  a  court  of  appeal, 
which  held  its  sittings  in  the  colony.  The  Residencia  was  seldom  if 
ever  ordered,  and  the  viceroy  held  the  office  of  honorary  president 
of  the  Audiencia,  and  usually  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with  it.  The 
power  of  the  Audiencia,  however,  was  considerable  :  it  exercised  a 
control  over  all  other  tribunals,  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil,  except 
the  object  of  litigation  exceeded  in  value  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  it 
possessed  the  power  of  communicating  directly  with  the  Council  of 
the  Indies,  which  had  been  created  by  Ferdinand  II.,  in  1511,  for 
the  exclusive  superintendence  of  the  affairs  of  the  colonies.  The 
members,  of  the  Audiencia  were  always  selected  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  every  possible  measure  was  taken  to  keep  them  distinct 
from  the  natives,  in  interest  and  feelings.  They,  with  the  viceroys, 
and  the  children  of  all,  were  forbidden  to  intermarry  with  a  Creole, 
or  to  engage  in  trade,  or  even  to  hold  property  in  the  country  over 
which  they  presided.  In  the  event  of  the  viceroy's  decease,  the 
oldest  auditor  exercised  the  functions  of  the  regent  until  a«new  vice 
roy  was  appointed.  Other  privileges  were  held  by  the  members  of 
this  court,  which  more  than  compensated  for  the  domestic  restrictions 
laid  upon  them. 

HE  laws  by  which  the  province  was  governed  were  in 
volved  in  such  a  state  of  chaos  that  to  obtain  justice  in 
any  case  seemed  almost  hopeless.  The  "  Recopilacion 
de  las  Leyes  de  las  Indias,"  or  "  General  Collection  of 
the  Laws  of  the  Indies,"  is  the  name  given  in  Spanish 
jurisprudence  to  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  statutes  by 
which,  during  the  last  three  centuries,  the  decisions  of  the  Mexican 
tribunals  were  supposed  to  be  regulated.  These  were  merely  de 
crees  upon  different  subjects  emanating  directly  from  the  king  or  the 
council  of  the  Indies,  often  contradictory,  having  no  other  connection 
wfth  each  other  than  what  arose  from  their  being  bound  up  and  pub 
lished  together  in  four  folio  volumes.  No  attempt  was  made  to  classify 
them,  and  they  presented  throughout  glaring  inconsistencies.  Every 
new  case  became  the  subject  of  a  new  decree,  which,  immediately  upon 
its  publication,  acquired  the  force  of  law,  and  tended  still  further  to 
complicate  the  judicial  code.  The  decrees  not  contained  in  the 
Recopilacion  were  more  numerous  than  those  which  were,  and  many 
of  both  were  repealed  by  subsequent  statutes,  and  finally  the  best 
lawyers  themselves  could  not  distinguish  between  those  decrees  which 
were  in  force,  those  which  were  dead  letters,  and  those  which  had 
been  wholly  or  in  part  annulled.  Of  course  the  defendant  could  always 


MUNICIPAL   ESTABLISHMENTS.  143 

find  some  decree  which  sheltered  him  from  the  penalty  of  the  injuries 
he  had  inflicted  on  others ;  and  corruption  in  the  administration  of 
justice  was  never  at  a  loss  for  a  plea  amid  the  multiplicity  and  con 
trariety  of  the  laws. 

HIS  confusion  was  increased  by  the  Fueros,  or  special 
privileges,  enjoyed  by  the  different  professional  and 
corporate  bodies.  Thus  there  were  Fueros  of  the 
clergy,  embracing  every  class  or  body  connected  in 
any  way  with  the  church ;  Fueros  of  all  persons  em 
ployed  in  public  offices,  of  the  merchants,  of  the 
militia,  the  navy,  the  engineers,  the  artillery  corps ; 
in  short,  Fueros  of  almost  every  thing.  These  special  privileges 
exempted  those  who  chose  to  make  use  of  them,  from  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  ordinary  authorities,  and  made  them  amenable  in  civil  and 
criminal  causes,  to  the  tribunal  of  the  chief  of  that  body  to  which  they 
belonged.  It  may  be  readily  seen  that  the  principal  sufferers  by  this 
state  of  things  were  the  native  Mexicans,  who  sought  in  vain  for  jus 
tice  against  a  Spaniard,  protected  by  his  own  race  in  his  misdeeds, 
and  armed  with  the  right  of  appealing  to  one  or  more  tribunals  of 
those  whose  community  of  interest  enlisted  their  feelings  and  judg 
ment  on  his  side  in  advance. 

The  municipal  establishments  retained  some  vestiges  of  freedom. 
The  Cabildos,  or  municipalities  of  the  towns,  were  composed  of  regi- 
dores  and  alcaldes,  who  were  for  a  long  time  elected  by  the  people, 
and  who  always  regarded  them  with  affection,  and  looked  to  them 
for  protection.  They  were  connected  with  the  people  by  innumer 
able  ties,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  we  find  them 
becoming  every  where  the  organs  of  the  people.  It  was  their  de 
cided  course  of  action,  in  fact,  which  brought  matters  to  a  crisis 
between  the  Creoles  and  the  mother  country.  It  is  very  singular 
that  this  should  be  the  case,  when,  for  many  ages  before  the  revolu 
tion,  the  right  of  election  had  been  every  where  merely  nominal,  the 
offices  in  some  places  being  sold  out  to  the  highest  bidders,  and  in 
others  made  the  reward  of  military  services,  and  subject  to  the  laws 
of  military  succession  and  government.  Thus  it  was  not  unfre- 
quently  the  case  that  a  corporal,  in  the  absence  of  his  superior  officers, 
administered  the  laws,  in  a  town  of  a  hundred  wealthy  landholders, 
whose  only  resource  against  the  decrees  of  his  ignorance  was  an  ap 
peal  to  an  audienda,  a  proceeding  attended  with  the  greatest  trouble 
and  expense.  In  such  a  state  of  affairs  the  administration  of  the  laws 
furnished  the  privileged  classes  with  a  ready  means  of  oppression 
and  they  availed  themselves  of  it  to  such  an  extent  that  the  "  law' 
delay"  was  by  no  means  the  worst  feature  of  a  Mexican  lawsuit. 


144  MEXICO   UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

THE  ecclesiastical  establishments 
in  America  were  independent  of  the 
Pope.  Alexander  VI.,  in  1502,  con 
stituted  Ferdinand  II.,  of  Spain,  the 
effectual  head  of  the  American  church, 
and  his  successors  ever  afterwards 
displayed  the  greatest  firmness  in  re 
sisting  every  thing  like  an  attempt  at 
encroachment  of  the  Holy  See  upon 
their  independent  spiritual  jurisdic 
tion  over  the  American  provinces. 
The  indulgences  and  dispensations 
Alexander  vi.  were  bought  up  by  the  Spanish  king, 

and  his  agents  at  Rome,  cheap,  and 

retailed  at  a  great  profit  to  the  subjects  in  the  New  World.  The 
crown  held  the  monopoly  of  this  lucrative  trade,  and  resisted  every 
effort  of  the  popes  to  obtain  a  greater  share  of  it  than  they  were  will 
ing  to  allow. 

Every  feature  of  the  colonial  policy  of  the  Spaniards  tended  to 
the  great  end  of  their  system,  to  teach  all  classes  to  look  to  the  king, 
and  to  him  alone  for  preferment.  Another  most  important  branch 
of  the  government  was  the  collection  of  the  customs  and  revenue,  in 
which  a  host  of  officers  was  employed,  under  the  direction  of  the 
tntendentes,  each  of  whom  presided  over  a  particular  district,  the 
boundaries  of  which  were  so  well  defined,  that  they  have  served  to 
regulate  the  number  and  boundaries  of  the  states  now  composing  the 
republic.  The  Intendentes  held  their  authority  from  the  king  through 
the  Council  of  the  Indies,  were  possessed  of  the  right  to  determine 
all  questions  respecting  the  revenues,  and  were  wholly  independent 
of  the  viceroy.  The  viceroy  commanded  the  troops  in  person,  and 
filled  up  all  vacancies  in  the  army.  He  was  assisted  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  by  a  Junta  de  Guerra,  or  council  of  war,  and  a  fiscal  or 
legal  adviser. 

The  theory  of  the  government  of  Mexico,  under  the  Spaniards,  is 
much  better  than  is  generally  supposed ;  but  its  practical  working 
was  nothing  more  than  the  application  of  the  whole  political  power 
of  the  crown  to  the  maintenance  of  a  system  of  revenue  laws,  by 
which  the  interest  of  the  colonies  was  entirely  sacrificed  to  that  of  the 
mother  country. 

The  intentions  of  the  first  framers  of  the  laws  were  conciliatory 
towards  the  Creoles,  and  the  Recopilacion  frequently  and  strongly 
insists  upon  the  equality  of  Americans  and  Europeans,  and  makes 
any  subject  of  the  crown  eligible  to  the  highest  dignity,  not  ex- 


CUPIDITY   OF   THE    VICEROYS.  145 

cepting  that  of  viceroy.  Yet  in  practice  the  creples  were  totally 
excluded  from  any  participation  in  the  government.  Every  situ 
ation  in  the  gift  of  the  crown,  from  that  of  viceroy  down  to  the 
lowest  revenue  officer,  was  bestowed  upon  a  European,  and  for 
many  years  before  the  revolution,  no  instance  is  afforded  in  which 
the  door  of  promotion  was  opened  to  a  native,  into  either  the  church, 
the  army,  or  the  law.  A  class  of  men  was  thus  disseminated 

tJ      * 

throughout  the  country  distinct  from  the  natives  in  feelings,  habits, 
and  interest,  who  looked  upon  themselves  as  members  of  a  privileged 
caste,  owing  all  to  Spain,  and  exclusively  devoted  to  her.  They  had 
in  their  hands  all  the  revenues  of  the  country,  and  their  chief  study 
was  how  to  rob  Mexico  of  the  greatest  capital  possible.  They  went 
thither  to  reside  for  a  time,  and  they  hastened  to  return,  in  order  to 
deposit  under  the  paternal  roof  the  fruits  of  their  robbery.  The  vjce- 
roys  set  a  splendid  example  of  this  cupidity.  With  a  salary  fixed  at 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  they  found  means  to  disburse  two  or  three 
times  that  amount  yearly,  and  return  to  Spain,  after  some  years  of 
vice-regal  life,  with  several  millions  of  economical  dollars.  They 
monopolized  to  themselves  the  king's  right  to  dispose  of  mercury, 
they  sold  to  the  Creoles  the  right  to  assume  empty  titles,  and  to  the 
merchants  of  Mexico  and  Vera  Cruz  the  more  substantial  rights  to 
import  prohibited  foreign  articles  into  the  country.  Sometimes  the 
"iceroys  shared  in  the  profits  of  the  contraband  trade  without  incurring 
any  of  the^isk.  The  good  understanding  always  maintained  between 
the  Spaniards  in  the  country,  rendered  it  impossible  for  a  Mexican  to 
enter  into  competition  with  them  in  commerce,  and  European  hands 
held  the  whole  trade  of  the  country.  All  functionaries,  great  and 
small,  went  to  the  greatest  limits  in  plundering  the  people  on  one 
hand,  and  the  king  on  the  other,  and  the  business  of  office  holding 
was  so  good,  that  many  lived  excellently  well,  who  received  no  legal 
compensation  whatever  for  their  services.  In  fact,  candidates  for 
merely  honorary  offices  were  numerous,  and  sometimes  they  paid  high 
prices  for  a  title  which  gave  them  the  privilege  of  robbing  Mexico. 

The  complaints  of  the  unfortunate  people  were  fruitless  against  the 
combination  of  Spaniards.  The  feeling  of  clanship  among  the  latter 
became  at  last  a  passion,  to  which  even  the  natural  feelings  were 
sacrificed.  The  son,  bom  of  a  Creole  mother,  was  considered  inferior 
to  the  Castilian  clerk,  for  whom  the  hand  of  the  daughter  of  the  family 
was  reserved,  with  a  large  portion  of  the  wealth ;  and  a  Spanish 
father,  when  irritated  at  his  child's  misdemeanours,  would  call  him 
"creole,"  the  formula  of  the  most  profound  contempt  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  express.  A  proof  of  the  extent  of  this  evil  is  clearly  seen 
in  the  violence  of  the  reaction  after  the  revolution,  when  the  name 
N  19 


146  MEXICO   UNDER   THE    SPANIARDS. 

of  Spaniard  entailed  on  its  possessor  a  full  title  to  every  Jdnd  of  pro 
scription. 

PAIN,  though  vigilant  in  all  that  concerned  her 
financial  interests,  suffered  them  to  be  so  totally 
mismanaged,  that  from  Mexico,  where  the  official 
revenue  was  stated  at  twenty  millions  of  dollars, 
she  received  only  six  millions  annually,  the  rest 
being  swallowed  up  in  expenses  in  the  New  World. 
Every  attempt  to  reform  these  matters  was  made, 
by  adding  new  laws,  which  merely  complicated 
the  system.  Meanwhile,  the  Mexican  was  kept  in  total  ignorance, 
and  taught  to  believe  his  own  situation  preferable  to  that  of  all 
mankind,  because  he  belonged  to  a  nation  superior  in  power  and 
dignity  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 

The  principal  causes  of  the  Revolution,  however,  were  the  restric 
tions  with  which  commerce  and  industry  were  fettered.  The  prefer 
ence  given  to  the  Spaniards  in  public  offices  did  not  act  directly  upon 
the  people,  who  seldom  aspired  to  govern.  But  the  monopoly,  sup 
ported  by  the  authorities  of  Spain  and  Mexico,  bore  heavily  upon 
them.  The  full  amount  of  the  injustice  was  made  visible  to  them  day 
by  day,  as  they  were  called  upon  to  pay  with  an  equal  weight  of  pre 
cious  metals  for  those  European  articles  in  general  use,  and  above 
all,  for  those  which  their  own  countrymen  would  have  produced  so 
cheaply  and  abundantly,  if  they  had  not  been  prohibited.  While 
Spain  undertook  to  supply  every  market  of  her  colonies,  it  is  noto 
rious  that  she  herself  produced  scarcely  any  thing.  She  was  in  reality 
merely  a  merchant  dealing  out  to  her  colonies  the  productions  of  in 
dustrious  Europe,  which  reaped  all  the  actual  benefit  resulting  from 
the  discovery  of  the  transatlantic  sources  of  wealth. 

Such  is  a  faint  outline  of  the  miserable  system  by  which  Spain 
governed  all  her  colonies  for  three  centuries.  It  was  a  system  which 
could  not  endure  long,  when  the  power  to  enforce  it  was  not  retained. 
It  is  an  immutable  law  of  human  affairs,  that  every  system  where  the 
advantages  are  not  reciprocal,  where  the  governed  do  not  derive  be 
nefit  a,s  well  as  the  governors,  should  fall  with  the  power  which  has 
established  it.  Such  was  the  case  in  Mexico.  The  events  which 
occurred  in  Europe  in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  de 
veloped  in  the  minds  of  the  Mexicans  ideas  of  independence  which 
had  never  before  been  popular  enough  to  be  translated  even  into 
words,  but  which  were  now  speedily  to  develop  themselves  in 
actions.  The  French  revolution,  upturning  the  whole  system  of 
European  despotism,  diffused  somewhat  of  its  spirit  into  the  benighted 
provinces  of  Spanish  America,  and  caused  the  promulgation  of  sen- 


REFLECTIONS. 


147 


timents  among  the  people,  which  otherwise  would  have  remained 
the  favourite  theme  of  a  few  philosophers,  who  might,  in  the  silence 
of  the  closet,  arrange  an  ideal,  drama  of  the  revolution,  but  who 
would  recoil  in  horror  from  the  very  thought  of  putting  it  into 
action. 

It  is  the  misfortune  of  the  people  of  Mexico,  that  their  condition 
under  the  Spaniards  was  such  as  to  cut  them  off  from  all  means  of 
improvement  in  the  political  science.  To  the  sister  republic  of  the 
United  States,  political  intelligence,  and  a  keen  foresight  of  coming 
oppression,  shed  a  clear  light  upon  the  struggle  for  national  inde 
pendence  ;  but  in  Mexico  it  was  the  instinctive  resistance  to  intoler 
able  oppression,  borne  for  centuries  by  the  country,  which  nerved  the 
arm  of  the  patriot ;  and  when  liberated  from  the  foreign  oppressor, 
the  unfortunate  Mexican  was  still  to  be  subject  to  all  the  horrors  of 
domestic  military  despotism,  which  substituted  perpetual  convulsions 
and  civil  feuds,  for  the  previous  dead  calm  of  unmitigated  despotism. 


Mexican  Gentlemen. 


Hidalgo* 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE    MEXICAN    REVOLUTION. 


HE  intelligent  observer,  Humboldt, 
remarks  that  in  1803,  the  great  ma 
jority  of  the  people  of  Mexico  were 
indifferent  to   political  rights,  and 
not  likely  to  join  in  any  effort  to 
acquire  them.     It  did  not  escape 
his  close  scrutiny,  however,  that 
the  higher  clases  of   the  Creoles 
were  irritated  by  the  political  in 
significance  to    which  they  were 
condemned,  and  that  they  regarded 
the    mother    country  with    sullen 
hatred,  and  her  once  formidable 
resources  with  contempt.     These  feelings  formed  the  germ  of  the 
revolution,  and  favourable  circumstances  soon  called  them  into  ac 
tion.     At  the  commencement  of  1808,  the  government  of  Mexico 
was  intrusted  to  Don  Jose  Iturrigaray,  and  the  vice  regal  authority 
seemed  to  be  as   firmly  established   as   at  any  former  period.     The 
country  was  tranquil,  the  people  were  occupied  in  their  regular  pur 
suits,  and  there  could  be  detected  nothing  in  the   general  calm  .to 
indicate  the  approaching  tempest. 
(148) 


IMPRISONMENT   OF   THE    VICEROY.  149 

The  agitation  commenced  on  the  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  over 
throw  of  the  king  of  Spain  by  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  The  viceroy 
communicated  the  intelligence  to  the  government  gazette ;  but  sin 
gularly  enough  added  no  comments  to  it  concerning  his  future 
movements.  In  a  few  days,  however,  he  became  convinced  of  the 
error  he  had  committed  in  not  giving  a  direction  to  men's  thoughts 
upon  such  startling  information.  He  attempted  to  remedy  it  by  a 
proclamation,  soliciting  the  support  of  the  people,  and  announcing 
his  determination  to  preserve,  in  all  emergencies,  his  fidelity  to  his  and 
their  sovereign.  The  people  received  his  publication  with  acclama 
tions,  rejoicing  greatly  in  the  fact  that  they  had  been  consi(iered  more 
than  ciphers  for  once,  than  in  the  viceroy's  loyalty.  A  kindly  feel 
ing  sprung  up  between  Iturrigaray  and  the  people,  who  poured  in 
upon  him  from  every  quarter,  through  their  ayuntamientos,  the  most 
loyal  addresses.  A  new  feeling  had  been  awakened,  however,  which 
very  soon  displayed  itself.  The  ayuntamiento  of  the  capital  pro 
posed  the  creation  of  a  junta,  in  imitation  of  the  mother  country,  and 
the  convocation  of  a  national  Mexican  assembly,  composed  of  depu 
ties  from  the  different  provinces. 

The  viceroy  was  not  inimical  to  the  proposition,  but  the  Audi- 
encia  protested  against  it  as  opposed  both  to  the  privileges  of  the 
crown  and  of  the  Europeans,  and  the  dispute  between  that  VJody  and 
the  governor  ran  high,  it  was  finally  ended  by  a  band  of  Europeans 
in  the  service  of  the  Audiencia,  who  surprised  the  viceroy  in  his 
palace  in  the  night,  September  15th,  and  carried  him  to  prison.  The 
Audiencia  justified  the  measure  by  proclaiming  Iturrigaray  to  the 
lower  classes  as  a  heretic,  and  formed  juntas  of  public  security,  and 
organized  armed  bands  of  Spaniards,  who  under  the  curious  title  of 
patriots,  watched  zealously  the  conduct  of  all  who  were  suspected  of 
being  favourable  to  the  imprisoned  viceroy.  Many  persons  were 
arrested,  and  banished  or  imprisoned,  and  the  vice-regal  authority  was 
confided  for  the  time  to  the  archbishop  Lizana.  The  moderate  dis 
position  of  this  prelate^  however,  did  not  suit  the  fiercer  tempers  of 
his  coadjutors,  and  he  was  replaced  in  1809,  by  the  Audiencia,  to 
whom  the  supreme  authority  was  confided  by  the  central  junta  of 
Spain.  The  feeling  of  opposition  was  spreading  throughout  the 
country  rapidly,  and  the  'arrogance  and  violence  of  the  Audiencia 
soon  brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  Its  character  may  be  fairly  esti 
mated  from  that  of  one  of  its  principal  members,  the  oi dor  Bataller, 
who  was  wont  to  say  that  "  while  a  Manchego  mule,  or  a  Castilian 
cobbler  remained  in  the  peninsula,  he  had  a  right  to  govern  the 
Americans."  Every  where  a  most  impatient  desire  to  shake  off  the 
Spanish  yoke  began  to  be  manifested,  and  the  authorities  in  vaia 


150  MEXICAN   REVOLUTION. 

tt 

attempted  to  check  the  insurrectionary  movements  by  arresting  all 
who  could  be  detected  in  concerting  them.  When  suppressed  at  one 
point,  the  discontent  broke  out  with  additional  violence  at  another ; 
the  scene  of  the  difficulty  only  was  changed.  At  length,  in  the  pro 
vince  of  Guanaxuato,  the  cura,  Hidalgo,  roused  his  countrymen  into 
action. 

Don  Miguel  Hidalgo  y  Costilla  was  a  man  of  very  superior  acquire 
ments.  His  reading  was  extensive,  the  town  of  Dolores,  of  which 
he  was  the  cura,  exhibited  many  proofs  of  hi*  activity  and  intelli 
gence  in  the  manufactures  of  the  parishioners,  and  the  culture  of  the 
silkworm, *which  he  had  encouraged  and  introduced.  He  had  planted 
vineyards  of  a  great  extent  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town,  and 
thereby  increased  the  resources  of  his  curacy,  but  an  order  from  the 
capital  destroyed  the  results  of  his  labours,  and  threw  his  people  into 
great  distress.  Thus  private  injury  was  added  to  his  sense  of  public 
wrong,  and  perhaps  added  to  the  stern  inexorable  spirit  in  which  he 
waged  the  contest  with  the  equally  stubborn  and  unrelenting  Spa 
niards,  and  which  stamped  upon  the  revolution  in  the  very  onset  a 
sanguinary  character  which  it  maintained  throughout.  He  proceeded 
in  his  movement  with  little  caution,  and  the  government  had  formed 
a  plan  to  crush  his  intended  revolt  at  once,  by  arresting  him  and  his 
principal  associates.  This  merely  hastened  the  execution  of  his 
scheme,  and  they  commenced  the  revolution  with  Allende,  and  ten 
of  his  parishioners,  on  the  16th  of  September,  1810.  On  that  day  he 
seized  and  imprisoned  seven  Europeans,  resident  in  the  town  of  Do 
lores,  and  distributed  their  property  among  his  followers.  The  flame 
thus  lighted  spread  through  the  country,  according  to  the  Spanish 
accounts,  with  the  rapidity  of  the  atmospheric  plague. 

N  twenty-four  hours  the  number  of  his  partisans  had  be 
come  so  numerous  that  he  was  enabled,  on  the  17th 
of  September,  to  take  possession  of  San  Felipe,  and 
on  the  18th,  of  San  Miguel  el  Grande,  towns  of  ten 
thousand  inhabitants  each.  In  both  places  the  con 
fiscated  property  of  the  Spaniards  gave  him  the  means 
of  still  further  increasing  his  force.  A  determination 
to  rise  against  the  established  order  of  things  was 
every  where  manifested ;  men,  unconnected  with  politics,  landowners, 
resident  upon  their  estates  in  the  most  remote  provinces,  curas, 
whose  lives  had  been  passed  in  the  midst  of  their  parishioners,  and 
young  men  educated  for  the  law  or  the  church,  and  just  emerging 
from  the  university,  all  flew  to  arms,  and  embarked  at  once  in  a  con 
test  for  which  they  were  supposed  to  be  wholly  unprepared.  Hidalgo 
next  took  Guanaxuato,  and  stormed  the  public  granary,  in  which  the 


CAPTURE    OF   VALLADOLID.  151 

intendant  had  fortified  himself.  Here  was  captured  a  treasure  worth 
nearly  five  millions  of  dollars,  consisting  of  the  gold,  silver,  mercury, 
and  valuables  of  the  royal  treasury,  and  all  the  personal  riches  of  the 
Spaniards,  who  had  shut  themselves  up  with  the  intendant.  The 
Indians,  after  the  action  was  over,  behaved  with  the  utmost  cruelty, 
putting  to  death  every  European  that  fell  into  their  hands.  On  the 
morning  after  the  action,  there  was  not  a  single  house  left  standing 
that  had  belonged  to  a  European.  Hidalgo  made  no  attempt  to  re 
strain  them,  either  because  he  desired  to  have  them  commit  them 
selves  beyond  the  possibility  of  pardon,  or  because  he  was  powerless 
to  restrain  the  first  outbreaks  of  a  ferocity  which  had  lain  so  long 
dormant.  During  his  stay  at  Guanaxuato  he  established  a  mint,  and 
cast  the  bells,  which  he  had  captured,  into  cannon.  The  treasures  he 
had  taken  made  his  movement  a  matter  of  dread  to  the  royalists,  and  his 
standard  a  rallying  point  for  all  adventurers  and  revolutionary  parti 
sans.  Two  days  before  the  insurrection  in  Dolores,  a  new  viceroy, 
Don  Francisco  Xavier  Venegas,  had  been  installed.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  abilities,  and  the  measures  he  took  to  put  down  Hidalgo's 
movements  were  well  calculated  to  effect  that  object.  On  the  10th 
of  October,  the  revolutionary  chief  moved  from  Guadalaxara,  and 
captured  Valladolid.  On  the  19th  he  left  that  city,  and  on  the  28th, 
with  fifty  thousand  men,  reached  Toluca,  a  town  within  twelve 
h  agues  of  the  capital.  Venegas  had  assembled  a  force  of  seven 
thousand  men,  which  he  disposed  of  in  the  most  advantageous  man 
ner  for  the  defence  of  the  town.  A  corps  of  observation  was  sta 
tioned  on  the  Toluca  road,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  TruxiUo, 
assisted  by  Don  Augustin  Iturbide,  then  a  lieutenant  in  the  Mexican 
service. 

Hidalgo  defeated  this  corps  on  the  30th  of  October,  at  Las  Cruces, 
and  it  was  expected  that  he  would  immediately  advance  upon  the 
capital ;  but,  for  various  reasons,  he  thought  proper  to  retreat.  His 
Indians  were  totally  undisciplined,  and  since  he  had  seen  them  cut 
down  by  hundreds  at  Las  Cruces,  in  the  sage  endeavour  to  stop  the 
cannons'  mouths  of  the  enemy  with  their  straw  hats,  he  had  no  hope  of 
their  being  able  to  face  for  a  moment  the  batteries  which,  he  was  well 
aware,  Venegas  would  raise  for  the  support  of  the  capital.  His  whole 
army  was  but  an  undisciplined  rabble ;  ammunition  was  very  scarce, 
and  Calleja,  who  was  leading  a  body  of  troops  against  him  from  San 
LuisPotosi,  was  daily  expected  to  fall  upon  his  rear. 

Hidalgo  soon  fell  in  with  the  advanced  guard  of  Calleja's  army, 
and  both  parties. prepared  for  the  battle,  in  the  plains  of  Aculco,  No 
vember  7th,  1810.  Calleja  was  extremely  anxious  about  the  result 
of  this  meeting,  as  the  greater  part  of  his  army  was  composed  of 


152  MEXICAN   REVOLUTION. 


Calleja. 

Creole  regiments,  who,  he  feared,  would  fraternize  with  their  oppo 
nents.  Such  would  probably  have  been  the  case  had  it  not  been  for 
the  disorderly  manner  in  which  the  followers  of  Hidalgo  dispersed, 
in  the  very  beginning  of  hostile  movements,  and  commenced  firing 
at  random  against  all  who  came  within  their  reach.  This  exasperated 
the  Creoles,  who  now  pressed  eagerly  forward,  and  speedily  decided 
the  fate  of  the  day.  From  this  time  until  1821,  the  Creoles  were  the 
chief  support  of  the  Spanish  power,  and  the  inveterate  enemies  of  the 
insurgents.  Had  the  soldiers  of  Hidalgo  been  at  all  disciplined,  or 
the  conduct  and  measures  of  Calleja  less  mollifying  and  skilful,  the 
Creoles  would  have  embraced  the  other  side  of  the  question,  and  the 
war  of  independence  would  have  been  ended  at  once.  Escaping 
with  his  general  officers  from  the  bloody  field  of  Aculco,  Hidalgo 
collected  as  many  of  the  fugitives  as  he  could,  and  retreated  to  Val- 
ladolid.  Allende,  his  second  in  command,  retreated  on  Guanaxuato, 
whither  he  was  pursued  by  Calleja.  He  immediately  evacuated  the 
place,  when  the  people  flew  to  the  fort,  in  which  Hidalgo  had  for 
merly  left  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  Europeans  as  prisoners,  and 
massacred  them  all.  The  blood  had  not  ceased  to  flow  from  their 
dead  bodies,  ere  Calleja  was  at  the  gate,  and  he  commenced  the 
work  of  retaliation  by  ordering  his  troops  to  give  no  quarter.  This 
order  was  countermanded  after  many  were  slain,  and  a  sentence  of 
decimation  was  pronounced  against  a  part  of  the  population.  Hidalgo 
arrived  at  Valladolid  on  the  14th  of  November,  and  allowed  his  fol 
lowers  some  days  of  repose.  Here  he  was  joined  by  the  advocate, 
Don  Ignacio  Lopez  Rayon,  whom  he  appointed  his  confidential 
secretary,  and  who  afterwards  took  an  active  part  in  the  revolution; 


EXECUTION    OF    HIDALGO. 


153 


by  establishing  the  Junta  of  Zitacuaro,  the  first  step  towards  creating 
an  independent  government,  and  one  which  systematized  the  revolu 
tion,  and  gave  a  character  of  respectability  to  the  patriot  cause  which 
it  had  not  before  possessed. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  Hidalgo  made  a  public  entry  into 
Guadalaxara,  where  he  was  soon  after  joined  by  Allende.  He  pro 
cured  a  number  of  cannons  from  San  Bias,  on  the  western  coast,  and 
though  he  had  only  twelve  hundred  muskets  in  the  army^  he  deter 
mined  to  risk  a  battle,  hoping  that  he  would  command  success  by  his 
artillery.  Before  the  battle,  however,  he  committed  deeds  of  cruelty 
which  have  stamped  his  name  with  an  immortality  of  infamy.  All  the 
Europeans  in  Guadalaxara  had  been  thrown  into  prison  on  his  arrival 
there,  and  the  number  was  so  great  that  it  was  necessary  to  distribute 
them  among  the  different  convents.  On  a  pretended  suspicion  of  a 
conspiracy  among  them,  he  caused  them  to  be  taken  out  at  night  to  the 
retired  part  of  the  mountains  near  the  city,  where  they  were  butchered 
in  cold"  blood  by  the  general's  creatures.  He  had  caused  eighty 
Spaniards  to  be  beheaded  while  he  was  at  Valladolid,  but  at  Guada 
laxara  the  number  amounted  to  between  seven  and  eight  hundred. 

ALLEJA  at  length  marched 
to  the  north,  and  on  the  16th 
of  January,  1811,  arrived  at 
the  bridge  of  Calderon,  six 
teen  leagues  from  Guadalax 
ara,  where  the  insurgents  were  fortified, 
awaiting  his  approach.  On  the  17th 
a  battle  was  fought,  which  terminated 
like  that  of  Aculco.  The  Mexicans 
repulsed  two  or  three  attacks,  in  one 
of  which  the  Creole  regiments  lost  their 
able  commander,  the  Conde  de  la  Cadena ;  but  the  explosion  of  an 
ammunition  wagon  threw  Hidalgo's  ranks  into  disorder,  and  the  fate 
of  the  day  was  soon  decided.  His  troops  had  fought  much  better  than 
before,  however,  and  their  loss  was  much  less.  He  retreated  with 
Allende  in  an  orderly  manner,  while  Rayon  went  back  to  Guadalax 
ara  to  carry  off  the  military  chest,  which  contained  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  They  all  met  again  at  Saltillo,  There  it  was  de- 
tided  that  Hidalgo,  Allende,  Aldama,  and  Abasalo,  should  proceed 
to  the  United  States  to  purchase  arms  and  military  stores.  They 
were  captured  on  the  road,  on  the  21st  of  March,  1811,  by  the 
treachery  of  a  former  associate,  and  after  a  long  trial,  protracted  to 
obtain  from  them  all  possible  information,  they  were  all  shot.  They 
met  death  with  firmness. 

20 


154  MEXICAN    REVOLUTION. 

We  have  been  thus  particular  with  the  account  of  Hidalgo's  rise 
and  fall,  as  the  opening  scene  of  the  revolutionary  drama,  and  be 
cause  it  shows  the  general  character  of  the  war.  A  guerilla  warfare 
now  succeeded  under  Rayon,  Muniz,  Navarrete,  Serrano,  Osorno, 
and  others.  Although  the  authority  of  the  viceroy  was  acknowledged 
in  the  principal  towns,  the  partisans  were  so  numerous  that  the  com 
munication  between  them  was  unsafe,  and  the  sentinels  were  lassoed 
at  the  very  gates;  the  country  was  devastated,  and  hardly  a  day 
passed  without  some  hostile  action.  Under  Rayon's  auspices,  a  cen 
tral  junta  was  established  10th  September,  1811. 

T  Valladolid,  when  Hidalgo  was  on 
his  march  towards  the  city  of  Mexico, 
his  army  was  joined  by  Don  Jose  Maria 
Morelos,  cura  of  Nucupetaro,  to  whom 
Hidalgo  immediately  gave  a  com 
mission  to  command  in  chief  on  the 
whole  south-western  line  of  coast.  He 
accepted  the  commission,  and  set  out 
October  10th,  with  five  followers, 
armed  with  six  old  muskets.  His 
confidence  in  his  own  resources  was. 
not  misplaced.  By  the  end  of  No 
vember  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  thou 
sand  men,  whom  he  laboured  diligently  to  discipline,  although  he 
was  greatly  in  want  of  arms.  On  the  night  of  the  25th  of  January, 
1811,  he  surprised  the  camp  of  the  royalist  captain,  Don  Francisco 
Paris,  who  commanded  a  numerous  and  well-appointed  body  of 
troops.  He  gained  a  complete  victory,  capturing  eight  hundred 
muskets,  five  pieces  of  artillery,  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition,  a 
considerable  amount  of  money,  and  seven  hundred  prisoners,  all  of 
whom  he  treated  with  the  greatest  humanity.  From  this  moment 
his  progress  was  astonishing,  and  the  skill  with  which  he  baffled  the 
efforts  of  the  divisions  sent  against  him,  soon  made  him  the  terror  of 
the  Spaniards,  and  the  admiration  of  his  countrymen.  Jose  and  An 
tonio  and  Ermenegildo  Galeana,  the  cura  Matamoros,  the  three 
Bravos,  and  Victoria,  all  men  of  character  and  eminence,  fought 
under  his  banner  with  great  gallantry.  The  year  1811  passed  in 
continual  warfare,  by  which  his  renown  so  increased  that  Calleja 
marched  against  him  with  an  army  flushed  with  victory  in  the  cam 
paign  against  Hidalgo.  Morelos  made  a  stand  at  Cuautla  Amilipas, 
an  entirely  open  town,  twenty-two  leagues  from  the  capital.  Calleja, 
on  his  way  to  Cuautla,  drove  the  junta  out  of  the  town  of  Zitacuaro, 
and  destroyed  the  place.  This  town  was  well  fortified,  and  their 


SIEGE    OF   CUAUTLA. 


155 


success  in  taking  it  inspired  the  royalist  troops  with  contempt  for  the 
town  of  Cuautla  and  its  defenders,  and  when  the  signal  for  the  attack 
was  given,  they  marched  forward  in  four  columns,  confiding  in  their 
invincibility,  and  resolved  to  make  short  work  of  the  fighting.  Th« 
silence  with  which  their  approach  was  awaited,  however,  was  omi 
nous,  and  when  Morelos,  having  suffered  them  to  get  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  his  intrenchments  in  the  plaza,  opened  a  well-directed  fire 
upon  them,  he  threw  them  into  confusion,  and  caused  their  speedy 
retreat.  Calleja  maintained  the  action  from  seven  in  the  morning 
till  three  in  the  afternoon,  when,  after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
draw  the  patriots  forth  by  pretending  to  abandon  his  cannon,  he  re 
tired  to  a  town  one  league  distant,  leaving  five  hundred  dead  upon  the 
field.  He  sent  immediately  to  the  capital  for  supplies  of  artillery, 
ammunition,  and  men.  All  that  the  magazines  contained  were  fur 
nished  to  him,  and  General  Llano  was  ordered  by  the  viceroy  to  join 
him  with  his  whole  force.  Morelos,  conscious  that  the  eyes  of  all 
Mexico  were  turned  to  Cuautla,  resolved  to  maintain  it,  though  it 
was  not  at  all  defensible,  according  to  the  rules  of  warfare.  He  had 
a  very  small  stock  of  provisions,  and  but  little  ammunition.  The 
latter  circumstance  he  remedied  in  part  by  economy  in  powder,  and 
by  buying  from  the  people  the  balls,  thrown  into  the  town,  at  a  fixed 
price  per  dozen ;  but  the  want  of  food  terminated  the  siege  much 
sooner  than  it  would  have  ended  otherwise.  Calleja  continually 
bombarded  him  from  one  side,  and  Llano  from  the  other ;  yet  his 
men  defended  themselves  without  a  symptom  of  faltering,  enduring 
every  suffering,  with  the  same  undaunted  resolution  displayed  by 
their  officers. 

HE  siege  commmenced  about  the  1st  of 
March,  and  at  the  end  of  April,  all  the  ad 
vantages  that  had  been  gained  were  on  the 
side  of  the  besieged.  Famine,  however, 
was  making  great  havoc  among  them.  Near 
ly  three  hundred  were  sick  in  one  hospital 
alone.  A  cat  sold  for  six  dollars,  a  lizard 
for  two,  and  a  dollar  was  cheerfully  paid  for  a 
rat.  A  general  action  was  brought  on,  one 
,  by  a  cow,  which,  happened  to  stray  into  the  space  between  the 
enemy's  quarters  and  the  town.  The  temptation  to  seize  her  was  too 
great  for  the  starving  soldiers,  and  Morelos  had  great  difficulty  with 
nearly  his  whole  remaining  force  in  saving  them  from  destruction. 

Morelos  at  last  determined  to  evacuate  the  place,  and  the  skill 
with  which  he  did  so  was  not  surpassed  by  the  bravery  that  had 
so  long  defended  it.  Every  preparation  was  made  beforehand.  On 


166 


MEXICAN    REVOLUTION. 


Leonardo  Bravo. 

•the  night  of  the  2d  of  May,  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  the 
troops  were  formed  in  the  plaza.  Galeana  took  command  of  the 
advanced  guard,  Morelos  the  centre,  and  the  Bravos  of  the  rear. 
The  column  moved  so  noiselessly  that  they  passed  unperceived  be 
tween  the  enemy's  batteries,  and  they  were  not  discovered  until  they 
were  putting  together  a  bridge  of  hurdles,  which  the  Indians  had  car 
ried  with  them  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  a  deep  ravine  that  lay  in 
the  way.  The  ravine  was  hardly  crossed  when  they  were  attacked 
on  opposite  sides  by  the  troops  of  Llano  and  Calleja.  Morelos 
immediately  gave  the  signal  for  a  general  dispersion,  which  was  so 
ably  effected,  that  the  Spanish  troops  fired  for  some  time  upon  each 
other  in  mistake.  Morelos  marched  to  Izucar,  then  under  Miguel 
Bravo,  and  here  in  two  days  he  had  the  pleasure  of  being  joined,  ac 
cording  to  agreement,  by  his  dispersed  soldiers.  Only  seventeen  of 
all  the  garrison  were  missing.  Among  them,  however,  was  Leonardo 
Bravo,  who  was  taken  by  the  enemy.  His  loss  was  deeply  regretted. 
Calleja  did  not  march  into  the  town,  till  several  hours  after  Mo 
relos  had  left  it ;  and  even  then  with  ridiculous  caution,  for  fear  of 
some  new  stratagem.  When  he  found  the  town  abandoned  to  him, 
he  exercised  the  most  atrocious  cruelties  upon  the  unoffending  inha 
bitants.  He  returned  to  the  capital  on  the  16th  of  May,  giving  a 
pompous  account  of  his  success,  at  which  every  one  laughed.  The 
popular  appreciation  of  his  success  was  well  expressed  by  a  character 
in  a  new  comedy  brought  out  at  the  time,  at  a  theatre  in  the  capi 
tal.  A  soldier  was  introduced,  who  came  before  his  general  and  pre 
sented  him  with  a  turban,  saying,  in  a  most  pompous  manner,  "  Here 
is  the  turban  of  the  Moor,  whom  I  took  prisoner."  "  And  the  Moor 


DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE.  157 

himself?"     "Unfortunately,  sir,  he  escaped."     The  application  was 
palpable,  and  the  passage  was  received  nightly  with  shouts  of  laughter. 

Thus  ended  the  siege  of  Cuautla,  the  most  important  military  occur 
rence  of  the  revolution.  As  soon  as  Morelos  had  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  a  fall  from  his  horse,  on  the  night  of  the  retreat,  he  recom 
menced  his  career  with  more  decided  success  than  ever.  He  defeated 
three  Spanish  divisions,  captured  nine .  cannons,  and  an  immense 
booty  in  Orizaba,  stormed  Oaxaca  in  the  most  daring  and  successful 
manner,  and  reduced  Acapulco,  after  a  siege  of  seven  months,  Au 
gust,  1813.  Meanwhile,  he  had  summoned  a  meeting  of  a  Mexican 
congress,  which  assembled  at  Chilpanzingo,  in  the  province  of  Oaxaca, 
on  the  13th  of  September,  1813.  Its  most  remarkable  act  was  the 
declaration  of  the  absolute  independence  of  Mexico.  This  seemed 
to  be  the  culminating  point  of  the  glory  of  Morelos.  "  My  race  was 
run  from  the  moment  that  I  saw  an  independent  government  esta 
blished,"  said  he,  at  a  later  period,  and  the  remark  is  borne  out  by 
the  fact,  that  from  that  time  commenced  a  series  of  reverses  which 
only  terminated  with  his  .life. 

His  first  defeat  was  occasioned  by  the  valour  of  Iturbide,  and  the 
error  of  a  large  body  of  insurgent  cavalry,  who  came  upon  the  battle 
field  in  the  midst  of  a  fight,  and  mistook  their  friends  for  their  foes, 
causing  irretrievable  confusion.  He  was  again  defeated  by  Colonel 
Iturbide,  at  Puruaran,  January  6,  1814.  In  this  battle,  his  brave 
lieutenant,  Matamoros,  was  taken  prisoner  and  shot.  The  insurgents 
retaliated  upon  their  prisoners.  One  after  another  of  the  conquests 
of  the  gallant  general  were  retaken,  and  action  after  action  was  lost, 
his  officers  were  taken  by  the  enemy,  and  executed,  and  the  congress 
was  driven  from  Chilpanzingo  to  the  woods  of  Apatzingan,  where, 
October  22,  1814,  it  adopted  the  constitution  known  by  that  name. 
Here,  in  the  early  part  of  the  following  year,  Iturbide  very  nearly 
succeeded  in  surprising  the  congress,  by  a  masterly  forced  march. 
With  a  view  of  placing  it  in  safety,  Morelos  undertook  to  escort  it  to 
Tehuacan,  in  La  Puebla,  a  march  of  sixty  leagues,  across  a  part  of 
the  country  filled  with  royalist  troops.  He  had  only  five  hundred 
men  under  his  command ;  but  Teran  commanded  a  large  body  of 
insurgents  in  La  Puebla,  and  if  he  could  join  them,  all  might  be  well 
again.  His  despatches,  however,  were  intercepted,  and  he  was  sur 
prised,  when  he  fancied  himself  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy's 
lines,  by  two  parties  of  royalists,  who  came  upon  him  unperceived, 
in  a  mountainous  part  of  the  road.  He  took  no  measures  to  save 
himself.  Don  Nicolas  Bravo  was  ordered  to  continue  the  march  with 
the  main  body  of  the  troops  as  an  escort  for  the  congress,  while  he 
endeavoured,  with  a  few  men,  to  check  the  advance  of  the  Spaniards. 
O 


158 


MEXICAN   REVOLUTION. 


Death  of  Morelos. 

Most  of  his  guard  abandoned  him  when  the  action  -became  hot ;  yet 
his  desire  to  gain  time  was  gratified,  for  the  royalists  did  not  advance 
to  seize  him  until  one  man  only  was  left  at  his  side.  He  was  at  first 
treated  with  great  indignity,  afterwards  with  more  kindness,  and 
finally  shot,  giving  the  signal  himself,  with  the  same  composure  he 
had  ever  evinced  on  the  field  of  battle,  December  22,  1815.  The 
prayer  he  uttered,  just  before  his  execution,  is  laconic  and  extremely 
affecting.  "  Lord,  if  I  have  done  well,  thou  knowest  it ;  if  ill,  to 
thy  infinite  mercy  I  commend  my  soul." 

His  friend,  Don  Leonardo  Bravo,  had  suffered  the  same  fate  in 
1814,  an  occurrence  which  caused  the  most  noble  exhibition  of  mag 
nanimity  known  in  Mexican  history.  The  son  of  the  condemned 
officer,  Don  Nicolas  Bravo,  gained  the  first  victory  of  the  Palmar, 
after  a  very  severe  three  days'  fight,  August  20.  He  took  on  this 
occasion  three  hundred  prisoners,  whom  he  offered  to  the  viceroy, 
Venegas,  in  exchange  for  his  father.  The  offer  was  refused,  and 
Leonardo  Bravo  was  ordered  to  be  immediately  executed.  It  would 
have  been  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  war  to  retaliate ;  but 
Don  Nicolas,  as  noble  as  he  was  brave,  instantly  set  all  his  prisoners 
at  liberty,  "  wishing,"  as  he  said,  "  to  put  it  out  of  his  own  power  to 
avenge  on  them  the  death  of  his  parent,  lest  in  the  first  moment  of 
grief,  the  temptation  should  prove  irresistible." 

Don  Nicolas  Bravo  greatly  added  to  his  military  reputation  in  the 
following  campaign,  by  sustaining  a  siege  for  two  months,  on  the 
Cerro  of  Coscomatepec,  and  a  masterly  retreat  when  provisions  utterly 


APODACA    APPOINTED    VICEROY.  159 

failed  him,  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  During  the  same  year,  Octo 
ber  18,  1813,  Matamoros  cut  off  the  celebrated  regiment  of  the 
Asturias,  a  the  victors  of  the  victors  of  Austerlitz,"  after  a  severe 
action  of  eight  hours.  But  these  successes  weighed  little  against  the 
current  of  disaster  before  noticed,  and  the  active  and  enterprising 
Calleja,  who  had  succeeded  Venegas  as  viceroy,  March  4,  1813, 
destroyed  successively  the  armies  of  the  insurgent  chiefs. 

Teran  dissolved  the  Congress,  and  thus  destroyed  the  only  bond 
of  union  that  existed  among  them,  other  than  their  common  devotion 
to  the  same  cause.  Notwithstanding  all  the  advantages  that  had 
been  gained  in  the  field,  however,  little  had  been  done  by  the  vice 
roy  towards  destroying  the  seeds  of  the  rebellion.  Cruel  and  blood 
thirsty  though  Calleja  was,  he  was  nevertheless  an  able  politician, 
and  knew  well  the  truth  of  what  he  said  when  he  wrote  to  the  king, 
that  "  as  six  millions  of  inhabitants,  decided  in  the  cause  of  inde 
pendence,  have  no  need  of  previous  consultation,  each  one  acts,  ac 
cording  to  his  means  and  opportunities,  in  favour  of  the  project 
common  to  all ;  the  judge,  by  concealing  or  conniving  at  crimes ; 
the  clergy,  by  advocating  the  justice  of  the  cause  in  the  confessional, 
and  even  in  the  pulpit ;  the  writers,  by  corrupting  public  opinion ; 
the  women,  by  employing  their  attractions  in  order  to  seduce  the 
royal  troops ;  the  government  officer,  by  revealing,  and  thus  para 
lyzing,  the  plans  of  his  superiors ;  the  youth,  by  taking  arms ;  the 
old  man,  by  giving  intelligence  and  forwarding  correspondence ;  and 
the  public  corporations,  by  setting  an  example  of  public  differences 
with  the  Europeans,  not  one  of  whom  they  will  admit  as  a  colleague." 

The  constitution  adopted  for  Spain  by  the  Cortes,  in  1812,  was 
also  applied  to  Mexico  and  the  other  colonies.  The  legal  restrictions 
upon  the  authority  of  the  viceroy  in  this  instrument  were  dispensed 
with ;  and,  backed  by  an  imposing  force,  Calleja  laboured  zealously 
to  restore  quiet.  When  he  was  succeeded  in  the  government,  in 
1816,  by  Apodaca,  the  country  was  generally  tranquil,  and  the  new 
viceroy  being  a  man  of  much  more  mildness  of  character,  hoped  to 
allay  the  whole  disaffection.  During  the  first  two  years  of  his  rule, 
seventeen  thousand  of  the  insurgents  accepted  the  indulto,  or  pardon 
offered  by  the  king.  Although  the  most  important  articles  of  the  new 
constitution  had  been  •  almost  immediately  suspended,  it  so  far  de 
veloped  the  spirit  of  independence  that  nothing  could  afterwards 
shake  its  hold  upon  the  minds  of  the  people.  Out  of  six  hundred 
and  fifty-two  elective  appointments  for  which  it  provided,  not  one 
was  given  to  a  European,  and  the  greater  part  were  filled  by  avowed 
republicans,  who  were  best  fitted  to  judge  leniently  of  the  guilt  of 
their  companions,  should  the  latter  be  brought  under  their  jurisdic- 


160 


MEXICAN  R  ;:  v  o ;.  T. 


Mina. 


tion  as  alcaldes,  for  disloyalty.  These  were  the  officers  to  whom 
Calleja  so  bitterly  alludes  in  the  extract  just  quoted ;  but  his  suc 
cessor  did  not  so  well  understand  the  deceitful  character  of  the  appa 
rent  calm.  He  saw  the  celebrated  guerilla  chief,  Mina,  land  in  the 
country  with  a  respectable  force,  and  summon  others  to  his  standard, 
but  he  found  that  the  great  mass  of  the  people  remained  spectators 
of  his  movements.  Mina  enacted  his  part  of  soldier  well,  but  the 
superior  power  of  the  viceroy  soon  crushed  his  opposition,  destroyed 
his  army,  and  captured  him.  He  was  tried,  condemned,  and  exe 
cuted  on  the  llth  of  November,  1817.  Those  who  still  held  the 
strongholds  he  had  captured  were  successively  conquered,  as  well  as 
the  independent  Mexican  chiefs ;  and  in  1819,  not  one  of  all  the 
insurgent  leaders  remained,  except  Guerrera,  whose  handful  of  wan 
derers  was  hardly  thought  worth  the  trouble  of  capture.  The  vice 
roy,  therefore,  wrote  confidently  to  Spain  that  he  would  answer  for 
the  safety  of  Mexico  without  a  single  additional  soldier  being  sent 
out,  the  province  being  again  tranquil  and  perfectly  submissive  to 
the  royal  authority. 

Ere  long  he  learned  his  error.  Mina,  not  more  skilful  as  a  soldier 
than  he  was  ignorant  as  a  politician,  was  a  royalist,  convinced  that 
the  independent  party  could  never  succeed  in  Mexico,  and  therefore 
unable  to  act  upon  its  adherents :  he  was  a  Spaniard,  whose  national 
feelings  prevented  him  from  fraternizing  with  the  natives  ;  he  com 
mitted  in  the  commencement  of  his  career  the  fatal  error  of  seizing 
the  money  and  property  of  a  Creole  nobleman,  who  had  taken  no  part 
in  the  war,  and  who  was  one  of  those  for  whose  defence  he  professed 


CONSTITUTION    RE-ESTABLISHED. 


161 


Iturbide. 


to  have  come.  He  had  been  expelled  from  Spain  in  consequence  of 
an  attempt  to  create  an  insurrection  in  favour  of  the  Cortes,  after  the 
dissolution  of  that  assembly  by  the  king,  and  he  came  to  Mexico  to 
fight  in  the  same  cause,  the  constitutional  freedom  of  the  country 

*  v 

under  the  Spanish  king,  which  was  not  what  the  insurgents  wanted. 
All  the  leaders  of  that  party  who  united  with  him  were  men  with 
whom  it  was  a  disgrace  to  be  associated. 

During  the  war,  the  Creole  troops  had  proved  the  main  stay  of  the 
government,  a  circumstance  the  more  remarkable  as  no  Creole  was 
allowed  to  hold  any  important  command.  The  leisure  of  peace  gave 
them  an  opportunity  of  thinking  over  their  course,  and  they  soon  saw 
the  great  error  they  had  committed.  Crowds  of  insurgents,  who  had 
taken  the  benefit  of  the  indulto,  were  allowed  to  mingle  with  their 
soldiers,  and  many  of  them  were  admitted  into  their  ranks  as  recruits. 
These  spread  their  opinions  with  zeal.  They  taught  their  new  com 
rades  that  it  was  to  them  the  country  had  a  right  to  look  for  freedom, 
while  they  alone  had  prevented  its  acquirement,  and  under  a  mis 
taken  notion  of  honour,  committed  an  error  which  it  was  now  their 
duty  to  repair.  As  these  convictions  began  to  influence  the  minds  of 
the  Creole  soldiers,  the  constitution  of  1812  was  re-established  in 
Spain,  and  of  course  in  Mexico.  The  election  returns  in  1820  were 
of  the  same  character  as  in  1812,  and  the  partisans  derived  an  addi 
tional  advantage  from  this  change  in  the  government,  by  the  division 
among  the  Spaniards,  some  of  whom  were  royalists  of  the  old  school, 
o2  21 


162 


MEXICAN   REVOLUTION. 


and  others  sincerely  attached  to  the  constitution.  The  viceroy, 
Apodaca,  took  the  oath  to  the  constitution,  at  the  same  time  intend 
ing  to  overturn  it,  in  alliance  with  the  dignitaries  of  the  church. 

Don  Augustin  de  Iturbide  was  the  person  selected  to  carry  this 
design  into  execution.  He  was  of  a  respectable  family  of  the  province 
of  Valladolid,  serving  as  a  lieutenant  in  a  regiment  of  provincial  mi 
litia,  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution.  He  was  possessed  of 
a  fine  person,  captivating  address,  and  polished  manners,  as  well  as 
a  daring  and  ambitious  spirit.  He  dipped  early  into  the  schemes  of 
the  insurgents,  who  would  gladly  have  received  him  into  their  ranks 
had  he  not  rated  his  services  far  above  what  they  conceived  them 
to  be  worth.  He  was  young,  and  inexperienced  then,  and  their  re 
fusal  to  accede  to  his  terms  determined  him  to  embrace  the  cause 
of  the  government,  for  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  fought  with 
bravery,  activity,  and  almost  uniform  success.  He  stained  his  vic 
tories  by  the  most  unlicensed  severities.  After  a  victory  at  Salva- 
tierra,  for  instance,  he  writes  to  the  viceroy  on  Good  Friday,  1814, 
that  in  honour  of  the  day,  he  had  just  ordered  three  hundred  ex 
communicated  wretches  to  be  shot.  He  was  further  charged  with 
rapacity  and  extortions  in  his  government,  a  fault  shared,  however, 
by  all  his  fellow  officers. 

N  1820,  he  was  despatched  by  Apodaca  to 
take  command  of  a  small  body  of  troops  on 
the  western  coast,  at  the  head  of-  which  he 
was  to  proclaim  the  re-establishment  of  ab 
solute  royal  authority.  He  accepted  the  com 
mission,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  execute  a 
plan  of  his  own  for  bringing  the  Creole  troops 
to  unite  with  the  insurgents  and  shake  off  the 
Spanish  yoke  altogether.  At  the  head  of 
eight  hundred  men  he  proclaimed  the  famous 
Plan  of  Iguala,  February  24th,  1821,  at  the 
town  of  that  name,  on  the  road  from  Mexico 
to  Acapulco.  It  was  intended  to  conciliate 
all  parties.  The  independence  of  Mexico 
was  to  be  established,  and  its  union  with 
Spain  preserved  by  vesting  the  right  to  the 
crown  in  the  king  of  Spain  or  one  of  his  brothers.  Spaniards  werr 
put  upon  the  same  footing  with  the  Creoles,  and  an  end  put  to  the 
despotism  of  military  commandants.  He  proposed  three  great  ob 
jects  to  be  kept  in  view,  which  he  called  "  the  three  Guarantees," 
and  his  army  was  denominated  "  the  army  of  the  three  Guarantees." 
These  guarantees  were  independence,  the  maintenance  of  the  Ca- 


INFLUENCE    OF   ITURBIDE, 


163 


Novella. 

tholic  religion,  and  union.  The  viceroy  might  have  speedily  over 
turned  the  little  army  of  the  three  guarantees,  but  he  seemed  so  sur 
prised  at  the  course  taken  by  his  subordinate,  that  he  hesitated  to 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  troops  of  the  capital  until  the  Euro 
peans  became  alarmed  and  deposed  him.  They  elected  in  his  place 
Don  Francisco  Novella,  but  his  authority  was  not  generally  recog 
nized,  and  Iturbide  profited  by  the  schism  in  the  capital  to  consum 
mate  his  plans  in  the  interior.  In  the  first  place  he  seized  a  conducta 
with  a  million  of  dollars.  Guerrera  was  then  induced  to  join  him  in 
the  new  war  for  "  independence."  Insurgents  and  Creoles  joined 
together  under  his  authority,  the  clergy  openly  espoused  his  cause, 
and  protestations  of  good  will  from  the  most  distant  provinces  poured 
in  upon  him.  Before  November,  the  whole  country  acknowledged 
his  authority,  except  the  capital  in  which  Novella  had  shut  himself 
up  with  the  Spanish  troops.  Iturbide  was  about  to  invest  it,  when  he 
heard  of  the  landing  at  Vera  Cruz,  of  Don  Juan  O'Donoju,  the 
new  constitutional  viceroy  and  political  chief,  whom  Iturbide  hastened 
to  meet  at  Cordova,  and  adopted  with  him  by  treaty,  the  Plan  of 
Iguala,  as  the  only  means  of  securing  the  lives  and  property  of  the 
Spaniards  in  Mexico,  and  the  right  to  the  throne  to  the  house  of 
Bourbon.  Novella  left'  the  country  with  those  who  chose  to  follow 
him,  and  O'Donoju  remained  there  as  a  member  of  the  junta,  which 
was  to  exercise  the  supreme  authority  until  the  king's  decision,  with 
regard  to  the  treaty,  should  be  known.  This  junta  chose  a  regency 
of  five  individuals,  of  which  Iturbide  was  made  president.  He  was 
at  the  same  time  created  generalissimo,  and  lord  high  admiral,  with 
a  yearly  salary  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  first 


164  MEXICAN   REVOLUTION. 

Mexican  Cortes  assembled  on  the  24th  of  February,  1822,  and  the 
fall  of  Iturbide  commenced.  Hitherto  he  had  carried  the  nation 
along  with  him,  but  as  soon  as  the  future  organization  of  the  govern 
ment  came  under  discussion,  the  unanimity  was  at  an  end.  There 
were  three  parties,  the  adherents  of  the  house  of  Bourbon,  the  repub 
licans,  and  the  Iturbidists.  The  news  soon  came  of  the  rejection  of 
the  treaty  of  Cordova,  by  the  king  of  Spain,  and  the  Bourbon  party 
died  away.  The  Iturbidists  immediately  raised  their  favourite  to  the 
throne.  He  was  crowned  emperor  of  Mexico,  under  the  title  of  Au- 
gustin  I.  on  the  18th  of  May,  1822.  This  only  delayed  his  fall. 
The  congress  recognized  him,  but  began  to  quarrel  with  him,  and 
after  trying  in  vain  to  establish  a  despotic  authority  over  them,  he 
boldly  dissolved  the  assembly,  October  30,  1822,  and  formed  a  new 
legislative  assembly,  composed  of  his  creatures.  But  he  was  not 
able  to  reconcile  his  companions  in  arms  to  these  changes,  and  seve 
ral  generals  pronounced  against  him,  and  prepared  for  a  contest.  He 
found  the  storm  likely  to  prove  too  severe  for  resistance,  and  he  there 
fore  called  together  the  old  congress,  and  abdicated  in  March,  1823. 
They  refused  to  accept  his  abdication,  as  that  would  imply  his  having 
had  a  right  to  the  crown,  but  they  allowed  him  to  leave  the  country 
with  his  family,  and  allowed  him  a  yearly  income  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  for  his  support. 

A  new  executive  was  immediately  appointed  by  the  congress,  com 
posed  of  Generals  Victoria,  Bravo,  and  Negrete,  by  whom  the  affairs 
of  the  country  were  conducted  until  the  assembling  of  a  new  con 
gress,  in  August,  1823,  which  definitely  sanctioned  a  federal  consti 
tution  in  October,  1824.  The  revolution  was  ended. 


General  Bustamente. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


HISTORY    OF   THE   MEXICAN    REPUBLIC. 

ENERAL  VICTORIA  was  the 

first  president  of  the  republic, 
and  during  the  first  months 
of  his  administration  the  par 
ties  of  the  nation  were  occu 
pied  in  forming  themselves.  Pronun- 
ciamientos  were  very  frequent,  but  they 
gave  little  alarm  to  the  government, 
which  proceeded  steadily  in  a  manner 
gratifying  to  the  republicans.  At  length 
two  parties  became  well  defined,  one 
opposed  to  republicanism,  the  other  strongly  in  favour  of  it.  The 
first  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  Escoceses,  or  Scotch  party ;  the 
other  by  that  of  Yorkinos,  or  York  party.  In  December,  1827, 

(165) 


166  MEXICAN   REPUBLIC. 


Pedraza. 

General  Bravo  rose  against  the  government,  at  the  head  of  the  Scotcfc 
party,  but  the  president  defeated  and  captured  him,  and  his  eminent 
services  in  the  revolution  alone  saved  his  life ;  as  it  was,  he  was 
banished.  In  the  election  which,  soon  followed,  however,  the  Scotch 
faction  elected  their  candidate,  Gomez  Pedraza,  by  a  majority  of  two 
votes,  but  the  republicans  could  not  submit  to  their  defeat,  and  Santa 
Anna  marched  against  the  new  president,  even  before  he  was  inaugu 
rated.  On  the  4th  of  December,  1828,  apronunciamento  was  issued  in 
favour  of  Guerrero,  the  president's  political  opponent.  Pedraza  fled 
to  the  United  States,  and  congress  elevated  Guerrero  and  Busta- 
mente  to  the  offices  of  president  and  vice-president.  The  new  go 
vernment  was  immediately  overturned  by  the  latter,  who  induced 
Santa  Anna  to  join  him,  overthrew  Guerrero,  and  seized  the  govern 
ment.  The  brave  Guerrero,  who  had  maintained  the  cause  of  Mexi 
can  liberty  when  every  other  champion  had  been  slain  or  subdued, 
and  whose  virtues  merited  the  lasting  gratitude  of  his  countrymen, 
was  now  rewarded  by  being  executed,  in  1831.  In  the  following  year, 
Santa  Anna  took  up  arms  against  Bustamente,  and  forced  him  to 
permit  the  recall  of  Pedraza,  who  returned  from  exile,  resumed  his 
office,  and  served  out  the  remainder  of  it.  When  his  term  expired, 
in  May,  1833,  Santa  Anna  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 

The  energy  of  character  and  military  skill  of  Santa  Anna  were  well 
known,  and  dreaded  by  his  rivals,  yet  this  did  not  prevent  them  from 
perpetual  disturbances.  He  kept  them  down  with  a  strong  hand, 
however,  always  marching  to  certain  victory  at  the  head  of  his  idol 
izing  soldiers.  In  1833  the  people  of  Texas  applied  for  admission 
into  the  Mexican  Union  as  a  separate  state,  but  their  commissioner, 


MILITARY   DESPOTISM.  167 

Stephen  Austin,  was  detained  at  the  capital,  waiting  in  vain  for  an 
answer.  At  length  he  wrote  home,  advising  the  people  of  Texas  to 
erect  their  province  into  a  state  without  waiting  for  further  consent. 
His  letter  was  intercepted,  and  he  was  seized  as  he  was  travelling 
homeward,  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon.  For  nine  months  he  did 
not  know  the  cause  of  his  imprisonment.  He  was  not  released  until 
a  year  had  elapsed  from  the  time  of  his  arrest.  During  the  early  part 
of  1834,  the  president  and  the  congress  worked  harmoniously  toge 
ther  ;  but  Santa  Anna  had  abandoned  his  republican  principles  since 
his  accession  to  office,  and  was  now  anxious  to  centralize  the  power 
of  the  state,  with  himself  at  the  head  of  it.  He  corrupted  the  con 
gress,  and  then  abolished  it,  taking  the  supreme  power  into  his  own 
hands,  and  with  the  army  crushing  all  attempts  at  resistance.  The 
plan  of  Toluca  was  at  length  published,  by  a  new  congress,  in  the 
interest  of  Santa  Anna,  which  reduced  the  country  to  a  military 
despotism,  with  himself  at  its  head.  In  the  northern  departments, 
however,  the  federalists  maintained  a  stand  against  these  arbitrary 
proceedings,  and  a  force  was  sent  to  put  them  down.  General  Cos 
entered  Texas  in  September,  1835,  at  the  head  of  a  strong  force,  and 
prepared  to  enforce  the  requisitions  of  the  government.  A  battle  was 
fought  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Guadalupe,  in  which  a  part  of  his 
force  was  defeated.  In  October,  the  Texans  captured  the  fortress  of 
Goliad,  with  a  large  quantity  of  arms  and  military  stores.  In  the 
latter  end  of  October,  the  Texans,  under  General  Austin,  laid  siege  to 
the  strong  town  of  Bexar.  During  the  siege,  Colonels  Fannin  and 
Bowie,  with  ninety-two  men,  gained  a  brilliant  victory  over  a  body 
of  four  hundred  Mexicans,  and  on  the  8th  of  November  another  vic 
tory  was  obtained  over  a  party  of  the  besieged,  who  henceforth  kept 
themselves  closely  in  the  town.  General  Austin  was  without  cannon 
suitable  for  the  reduction  of  so  large  a  city,  but  he  stormed  it  on  the 
5th  of  December.  General  Cos  retired  with  the  garrison  into  the 
fortress  of  the  Alamo,  and  kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon  the  town,  but 
he  was  obliged  at  length  to  capitulate 

The  defeat  of  General  Cos  hastened  the  preparations  of  Santa 
Anna  to  add  to  his  glory  by  reducing  the  rebellious  Texans.  He 
entered  that  state  with  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men,  and  a  large 
train  of  artillery,  and.  reached  the  town  of  Bexar  on  the  21st  of 
February.  The  Texan  garrison  had  no  intimation  of  his  approach, 
and  they  were  driven  into  the  Alamo  without  provisions.  They  re 
ceived  no  other  aid,  during  the  siege  which  followed,  than  a  rein 
forcement  of  thirty-two  men  from  Gonzales.  They  numbered  with 
these  a  hundred  and  fifty.  For  ten  days  the  air  was  darkened  by  the 
shot  and  shells  poured  into  the  fort  by  Santa  Anna,  yet  not  a  man  of 


168 


MEXICAN    REPUBLIC, 


Fall  of  the  Alamo. 

the  Texans  had  fallen,  while  the  ground  was  strewed  with  hundreds 
of  their  enemies,  slain  by  the  ball  of  the  unerring  rifle.  At  length, 
on  the  night  of  the  5th  of  March,  they  beheld  the  enemy  advancing 
to  assault  the  place.  With  their  artillery  the  gallant  defenders  beat 
whole  battalions  to  the  earth,  yet  the  Mexican  pushed  on  his  men, 
confident  of  ultimate  success.  The  scaling-ladders  were  at  length 
planted,  and  the  Mexicans  poured  into  the  fortress.  The  men  of 
the  garrison,  looking  more  like  spectres  than  men,  still  dealt  death 
upon  the  enemy.  They  sold  their  lives  dearly,  but  the  immense 
numbers  of  their  assailants  made  their  destruction  certain.  Seven 
of  them,  finding  their  companions  all  dead,  asked  for  quarter,  but 
\vere  refused.  They  retired  to  a  corner  of  the  fortress,  placed 
their  backs  to  the  walls,  and  fell,  each  upon  a  pile  of  his  fallen 
foes.  Such  was  the  victory  of  the  Alamo,  the  Thermopylae  of  Texas, 
which  cost  the  victor  fifteen  hundred  of  his  bravest  men.  He  now 
attempted  to  reduce  the  Texans  by  negotiation,  but  his  overtures 
were  disdainfully  rejected. 

In  March,  Colonel  Fannin,  with  three  hundred  men,  was  sur 
rounded  on  an  open  plain  by  a  great  number  of  the  enemy,  to  whom 
he  surrendered,  after  a  short  conflict,  on  condition  of  being  well 
treated,  and  sent  to  the  United  States  as  soon  as  transportation  could 
'be  procured.  A  party  of  a  hundred  men,  coming  to  his  aid,  was 


BATTLE    OF    SAN   JACINTO.  169 


General  Cos. 

also  captured,  and  the  whole  four  hundred  were  marched  to  Goliad, 
where,  after  enduring  every  insult  and  indignity,  Santa  Anna  caused 
them  to  be  massacred  in  cold  blood. 

On  the  2d  of  March,  1836,  the  representatives  of  the  people  of 
Texas  assembled  at  Washington,  and  declared  their  state  independ 
ent.  The  invading  army  was  now  marching  in  three  divisions 
through  the  country,  the  second,  under  Santa  Anna,  being  in  the 
centre.  General  Houston,  after  retreating  before  one  party  of  the 
foe,  made  a  forced  march  to  encounter  Santa  Anna.  On  the  20th  of 
April,  he  bivouacked  on  the  San  Jacinto,  and  his  troops,  who  had 
eaten  nothing  for  forty-eight  hours,  began  to  prepare  some  cattle  for 
a  meal,  when  the  advance  of  Santa  Anna's  party  came  up.  A  skir 
mish  immediately  took  place,  in  which  the  too  fiery  Texans  were 
driven  back,  and  the  troops  of  Santa  Anna,  already  believing  them 
selves  invincible,  were  assured  of  further  glory  to  be  gained  by  them 
on  the  morrow.  General  Cos  joined  his  commander,  with  the  rear 
guard,  making  his  force  up  to  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  on  the  after 
noon  of  the  21st,  the  battle  was  fought.  Houston  had  seven  hundred 
infantry  and  sixty-one  cavalry.  The  Texan  infantry  charged  the  line 
of  the  enemy  till  within  a  few  yards,  when  they  delivered  their  fire 
with  dreadful  effect,  shouted  their  war  cry,  "  Remember  the  Alamo," 
and  rushed  upon  the  foe  with  the  bayonet.  The  battle  was  decided 
at  once.  The  Mexicans  lost  six  hundred  and  thirty  killed,  two  hun 
dred  and  eighty  wounded,  and  seven  hundred  and  thirty  prisoners. 
Almonte  was  captured  on  the  day  of  the  battle,  Santa  Anna  on  the 
22d,  and  General  Cos  on  the  24th.  Santa  Anna  now  offered  his 
services  to  put  an  end  to  the  war;  and,  as  president  of  Mexico, 
signed  a  treaty  on  the  14th  of  May,  1836,  binding  himself  solemnly  to 
P  22 


170  MEXICAN   REPUBLIC. 

acknowledge,  sanction,  and  ratify  the  full,  entire,  and  perfect  inde 
pendence  of  Texas.  The  Rio  Grande  was,  by  this  treaty,  defined  to 
be  the  western  boundary  of  the  new  republic.  The  Texans  agreed 
to  spare  the  lives  of  their  captives,  to  send  Santa  Anna  to  Vera  Cruz 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  to  furnish  General  Filisola  with  supplies,  on 
his  retreat  out  of  the  country.  Afterwards  Santa  Anna  was  placed 
on  board  a  vessel  at  Velasco,  and  hoped  to  be  allowed  to  sail  to  Vera 
Cruz,  but  he  was  disappointed,  as  General  Green  arrived  off  the 
Brazos  with  a  detachment  of  newly  enlisted  troops,  and  the  captive 
general  was  obliged  to  come  on  shore  and  exhibit  himself.  He  was 
sent  to  the  United  States  in  December,  1836,  and  visited  the  presi 
dent.  The  United  States  brig  Pioneer  conveyed  him  to  Mexico  in  1837. 

Santa  Anna  returned  to  Mexico  in  1837,  and  retired  into  solitude 
at  his  hacienda  of  Magno  de  Clava.  The  vice-president,  Barragan, 
had  endeavoured  to  act  upon  his  principles  during  his  absence,  but 
the  policy  of  Santa  Anna  could  only  be  upheld  by  his  own  hands ; 
the  innumerable  federalists  were  spreading  disorder  and  confusion 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  while  from  without, 
France  was  clamorous  for  the  payment  of  a  long-standing  debt,  and 
the  treasury  was  empty.  Bustamente  took  advantage  of  these  diffi 
culties  to  return  to  Mexico,  and  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
government.  He  announced  his  intention  to  continue  the  war  against 
Texas,  and  sent  General  Bravo  to  Saltillo,  to  take  command  of  an 
expedition  into  that  country.  A  few  ragged  undisciplined  soldiers 
were  collected  at  that  place  for  the  purpose,  and  detained  there 
without  supplies  or  munitions.  Bravo  resigned  in  disgust. 

Bustamente  soon  became  unpopular,  and  was  labouring  zealously 
to  avert  the  approaching  financial  crisis,  when  a  French  fleet  under 
Admiral  Baudin,  came  to  Vera  Cruz  to  obtain  redress.  The  admiral 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  diplomacy.  He  blockaded  the  port 
of  Vera  Cruz,  and  cut  off  the  revenue  derived  from  that  city  by  the 
government,  maintaining  his  position  during  the  whole  winter  of 
1838-9.  Santa  Anna  had  been,  in  1838,  intrusted  by  the  govern 
ment  with  the  command  of  an  army  against  Mexia,  who  had  pro 
nounced  against  the  central  government.  He  had  defeated  Mexia, 
taken  him  prisoner,  and  put  him  to  death  on  the  spot.  We  can  find 
little  fault  with  his  conduct  on  this  occasion,  for  the  defeated  officer 
himself  said,  when  the  sentence  was  announced  to  him,  with  admi 
rable  sangfroid,  "  Santa  Anna  is  right.  I  should  have  treated  him 
so,  had  I  been  the  conqueror." 

Santa  Anna  was  now  called  to  the  defence  of  Vera  Cruz,  where 
the  French  admiral  had  become  weary  of  maintaining  the  blockade. 
He  resolved  to  make  an  attack  on  the  fortress.  A  bombardment  was 


VERA   CRUZ   ATTACKED    BY    THE    FRENCH.      171 


Mexia . 


commenced  by  the  whole  force,  which  the  Mexicans,  with  the  utmost 
indifference,  suffered  to  be  towed  slowly  into  position  without  firing 
a  shot.  They  did  not  waken  from  their  apathy  until  they  found  their 
castle  walls  less  invulnerable  than  they  had  supposed.  When  they 
did  return  the  fire,  however,  their  powder  was  so  bad  that  it  would 
not  send  a  ball  through  the  side  of  a  ship,  and  thus  the  effect  of  their 
excellent  gunnery  was  lost.  The  inferior  quality  of  the  powder, 
however,  did  not  prevent  it  from  making  a  terrible  havoc  among 
the  defenders  themselves.  A  magazine  exploded,  blowing  up  the 
Tower  of  the  Cavalier,  and  dealing  death  and  destruction  in  all  direc 
tions,  and  placing  the  garrison  hors  du  combat.  The  firing  ceased. 

The  French  then  attacked  the  city.  Several  engagements  took 
place  between  them  and  the  forces  of  Santa  Anna,  in  one  of  which 
that  general  received  a  wound  which  cost  him  his  leg.  An  arrange 
ment  was  effected  with  the  French,  who  left  the  harbour  in  peace, 
and  Santa  Anna,  yielding  up  his  authority,  retired  to  his  hacienda, 
to  recover  from  the  amputation  of  his  limb,  followed  by  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  countrymen,  who  he  felt  assured  would  soon  call 
him  to  the  head  of  the  government. 

In  1839  General  Canales  excited  a  revolt  in  the  northern  pro 
vinces,  which  he  endeavoured  to  unite  into  a  separate  republic,  with 
the  aid  of  Texas.  The  revolutionists  declared  their  independence, 
and  chose  Canales  general-in-chief  and  president.  A  volunteer  force 
was  raised  at  Bexar,  and  marched  to  join  the  federal  army,  under 
Colonel  Jordan.  Canales  then  entered  Mexico,  and  marched  to 
Coahuila.  General  Arista  was  sent  against  him.  The  superior  merit 
of  Canales,  as  a  Mexican  officer,  consists  in  the  facility  with  which  he 


172  MEXICAN   REPUBLIC. 


Santiago  I  man. 
• 

can  change  his  side  in  a  contest.  He  suffered  himself  to  be  defeated 
by  Arista,  in  1840,  and  then  made  his  peace  with  the  Mexicans,  leav 
ing  the  brave  Jordan  to  fight  his  way  back  to  Antonio  de  Bexar,  at 
the  head  of  his  little  band  of  Texans. 

At  the  end  of  May,  1839,  Santiago  Iman,  a  militia  officer  of  Yuca 
tan,  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  in  that  state.  His  measures  had 
been  concerted  with  the  commander  of  a  garrison  of  Mexicans  in 
Espeta,  and  he  marched  to  that  place  to  join  his  confederate.  The 
commander  of  Espeta  meanwhile  changed  his  mind,  and  instead  of 
giving  up  the  place  to  Iman,  he  opened  a  fire  upon  him.  It  was  in 
the  night,  and  a  battle  ensued,  in  which  Iman  was  worsted  and  com 
pelled  to  retire.  He  was  pursued,  after  some  time,  by  the  com-  ' 
mander,  and  made  to  leave  his  encampment.  His  opponent  then 
returned  to  Espeta,  boasting  that  he  had  subdued  the  rebellion. 
Santiago  Iman,  however,  was  a  man  of  considerable  ability  and 
political  skill,  and  he  remained  in  arms,  and  increased  his  numbers. 
On  the  12th  of  December,  he  was  attacked  by  General  Requena,  and 
defended  himself  until  fifty  of  the  government  troops  were  killed  and 
many  wounded.  He  was  driven  from  the  place  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  but  his  loss  was  very  slight,  and  while  Requena  returned  to 
report  to  his  superior  in  Campeachy  that  he  had  given  the  rebel  force 
to  the  winds,  the  hardy  partisan  prepared  for  an  enterprise  of  some 
magnitude.  On  the  llth  of  February,  1840,  he  appeared  before 
Valladolid  de  Yucatan,  entered  the  suburbs,  and  gained  a  battle  over 
the  garrison,  whose  brave  commander  was  killed  in  the  fight.-  The 
victorious  army  was  composed  of  the  able  general  and  a  handful  of 


SANTA   FE    EXPEDITION.  173 


General  Rivas. 

Indians  and  Meztizoes  gathered  from  the  huts  of  the  country,  and  a 
few  deserters  from  the  regular  army. 

A  convention  met  at  Iman's  command,  on  the  same  night,  and 
proclaimed  the  constitution  of  1824.  The  news  spread  rapidly  over 
the  country,  the  people  every  where  espoused  the  cause  of  the  in 
surgents,  and  in  a  short  time  Campeachy  was  the  only  city  that 
retained  its  allegiance  to  the  central  government.  General  Rivas 
commanded  the  city,  with  a  garrison  of  a  thousand  men,  but  the 
revolutionists  compelled  him  to  surrender  in  June  1840,  and  the 
struggle  was  brought  to  an  end.  In  March,  1841,  a  new  constitu 
tion  was  proclaimed. 

These  difficulties  hastened  the  fall  of  Bustamente.  Paredes  pro 
nounced  against  him  in  1841,  and  the  movement  becoming  popular, 
Santa  Anna  joined  in  it.  The  latter  officer  had  already  corrupted 
several  of  the  officers  of  Bustamente,  and  with  their  support  he  had 
little  difficulty  in  expelling  the  president,  and  seating  himself  in  the 
executive  chair.  The  position  of  Santa  Anna  was  one  of  the  greatest 
difficulty,  and  his  conduct  in  extricating  the  government  from  its  em 
barrassments,  prove  him  to  be  as  able  as  he  is  crafty  and  unprincipled 

In  1841  a  party  of  Texans  invaded  Santa  Fe,  were  taken  prisoners, 
and  marched  to  the  Mexican  capital,  under  the  most  horrid  sufferings 
from  small  pox,  want,  and  the  cruel  treatment  of  the  Mexicans,  who 
slaughtered  many  of  them  in  cold  blood.  One  of  the  officers  escort 
ing  them  slew  several,  because  they  could  not  keep  up,  and  carried 
their  ears,  strung  together  upon  a  piece  of  buckskin,  to  the  governor 
of  the  next  department,  to  prove  that  he  had  not  allowed  them  to 


174 


MEXICAN    REPUBLIC. 


escape.  At  Mexico  they  were  confined  in  the  convent  of  Santiago, 
loaded  with  chains,  and  compelled  to  labour  on  the  public  works. 
The  few  who  remained  alive  in  June,  1842,  were  liberated  by 
Santa  Anna.  Yucatan  and  Texas  entered  into  a  convention  to  sup 
port  each  other,  and  the  Texan  navy,  under  Commodore  Moore, 
cleared  the  gulf  of  the  Mexican  flag.  In  1842,  General  Morelos 
marched  four  thousand  men  into  Yucatan,  where  the  fever  broke  out 
in  his  camp,  and  in  a  few  weeks  he  returned  to  Vera  Cruz  with  a  mere 
handful  of  men.  Hundreds  had  perished  in  a  single  day.  The  ex 
pedition  cost  too  much  to  be  repeated,  and  the  Yucatecos  remained 
unmolested.  They  subsequently  re-entered  the  Mexican  confederacy 
on  their  own  terms,  and  still  pay  a  nominal  allegiance  to  the  republic. 
Six  years  after  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  during  which  Texas  had 
been  making  the  most  rapid  improvements,  she  was  suddenly  in 
vaded  by  General  Bascus,  who  surprised  San  Antonio  de  Bexar, 
pillaged  the  town,  and  retired  with  his  booty  with  Mexican  celerity. 
General  Canales  soon  after  came  with  a  strong  party  of  cavalry  and 
infantry,  upon  a  similar  expedition,  but  he  was  met  by  a  party  of 
Texans  and  defeated  with  loss.  In  September,  General  Woll  came 
with  a  thousand  men  and  captured  Bexar.  He  remained  there  nearly 
a  week.  A  party  of  Texans  marched  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  under 
Colonel  Caldwell,  and  Captain  Dawson  came  with  another  company 


BATTLE    OF   MIER.  175 

to  join  Caldwell.     Dawson  was  surrounded  by  trfe   enemy,  and  a 
battle   ensued,  in  which  the  Texans  fought  like  tigers.     The  fight 
ended  when  they  were  all  killed  or  disabled,  and  General  Woll,  who 
had   suffered  severely  in  the  engagement,  made  a  hasty  retreat  into 
Mexico,  carrying  with  him  fifty-two   prisoners.     The  president  of 
Texas  sent  a  body  of  eight  hundred  cavalry  to  the  Rio  Grande,  to 
retaliate,  but  the  leader,  General  Somerville,  did  not  effect  any  thing, 
and  determined  to  return.     With  the  chivalrous  feelings  so  prevalent 
in  the  south-west,  the  men  of  the  party  disliked  to  return  without 
having   accomplished  any  thing,  and  three  hundred  of  them  elected 
Colonel  Fisher  as  a  leader,  and  marched  onward.     They  captured 
the  town  of  Mier,  and   demanded  from   the   alcalde   a  supply  of 
horses  and  provisions.     These  he  promised  to  furnish,  and  they  en 
camped  outside  the  town  to  await  the  fulfilment  of  his  engagement. 
Meanwhile  General  Ampudia  marched  to  the  relief  of  Mier,  with 
more  than  three  thousand  men,  and  the  main  body  of  the  Texans, 
who  were   in  a  destitute   condition,  actually  forced  their  way  back 
into  the  heart  of  the  town,  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire  from  the  artil 
lery  and  musketry  of  Ampudia.  They  were  attacked  on  the  following 
morning  by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy,  and  one  of  the  most  desperate 
battles  of  America  followed.  The  rifles  of  the  Texans  were  discharged 
rapidly  and  fatally,  and  death  gathered  victims  from  every  housetop, 
and  in  every  street  where  the  Mexicans  showed  themselves.     The 
final  issue  of  the  conflict  might  have  been  in  favour  of  the  gallant 
Texans,  but  their  supply  of  ammunition  became  exhausted,  and  they 
very  reluctantly  accepted  the  terms  offered  by  Ampudia.     He  broke 
them  as  soon  as  his  enemy  was  in  his  power,  and  marched  the  pri 
soners  off  to  Mexico,  to  undergo  the  same  sufferings  as  their  unfor 
tunate  countrymen,  who  were  taken  in  the  Santa  Fe  expedition.  Re 
volting  against  the  barbarity  of  their  tormentors,  the  prisoners  rose 
on  their  guard  and  escaped  ;  but  they  could  not  find  their  way  out  of 
fhe  country,  and  were  retaken.     Seventeen  of  their  number  were 
put  to  death  as  a  punishment  for  the  attempted  escape.     Many  an 
arm  has  been  nerved  to  high  deeds  of  chivalry  in  the  contest  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  by  the  thought  of  the  sufferings  expe- 
lienced  at  the  hands  of  the  treacherous  Mexicans,  by  Americans,  on 
these  fatal  expeditions.  ' 

Santa  Anna  finding  that  the  people  began  to  look  for  some  more 
decisive  movements  on  his  part,  in  fulfilment  of  the  great  promises 
he  had  made  with  regard  to  Texas,  attempted  to  amuse  them,  and 
the  Texans  too,  by  accepting  the  offers  of  the.  British  minister  as  me 
diator,  and  a  negotiation  was  entered  into,  between  the  two  states, 
which  proceeded  slowly,  and  finally  broke  up  without  settling  any 


176  MEXICAN    REPUBLIC. 


Santa  Anna* 

point  in  dispute.  The  principal  articles  insisted  on  by  the  Mexicans 
was,  that  Texas  should  not  form  a  connection  with  the  United  States, 
which  many  of  the  people  of  Texas  and  the  United  States,  were  be 
ginning  to  look  upon  favourably.  This  measure  increased  in  public 
favour,  and  was  finally  consummated  on  the  1st  of  March,  1845,  by 
the  passage  of  joint  resolutions  for  that  pupose  by  the  American 
congress,  as  hereafter  related. 

The  internal  affairs  of  Mexico  meanwhile  had  undergone  material 
changes.  A  junta  of  notables  was  convened  by  Santa  Anna,  in 
1842,  to  form  a  new  constitution,  and  on  the  13th  of  June,  1843,  it 
proclaimed  the  result  of  its  deliberations,  in  the  shape  of  the  "  Bases 
of  Political  Organization  of  the  Mexican  Republic."  Under  this 
new  constitution,  Santa  Anna  was  elected  the  first  president. 

In  1843,  General  Santmanet  attempted  a  revolution  in  Tabasco, 
which  proved  unsuccessful,  and  he  fled  to  Havana,  where  he  col 
lected  a  party  of  adventurers  and  returned  to  Mexico,  in  1844..  He 
was  shipwrecked  on  the  bar  of  the  Rio  Tabasco,  and  he  and  his 
Darty  fell  into  the  hands  of  General  Ampudia,  who  cut  off  his  head, 
boiled  it  in  oil,  and  stuck  it  up  on  a  pole  to  blacken  in  the  sun.- 

A  hostile  movement  of  the  president  against  Paredes,  however, 
caused  the  friends  of  that  general  to  prepare  for  revolt,  and  a  civil 


SANTA    ANNA    MADE    DICTATOR. 


177 


Santmanet. 

war  soon  broke  out.  Santa  Anna  marched  at  the  head  of  the  army  to 
quell  the  insurrection,  but  his  soldiers  ran  away,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  deliver  himself  a  prisoner,  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  His 
lieutenant,  Canalizo,  surrendered  the  capital,  and  General  Herrera 
was  elevated  to  the  presidency.  Santa  Anna  was  for  a  time  im 
prisoned  in  Perote  Castle ;  but  after  long  deliberation,  the  congress 
condemned  him  to  perpetual  exile.  He  embarked  in  June,  1845, 
for  Havana,  with  his  wife  and  a  few  friends,  and  occupied  himself 
with  puerile  pursuits,  until  August,  1846,  when  he  terminated  his 
perpetual  exile,  by  landing  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  becoming  at  once  pre 
sident  and  dictator.  Herrera  had  caused  the  passage  of  a  vote  by 
the  congress,  recognizing  the  independence  of  Texas,  on  condition 
of  her  not  annexing  herself  to  the  United  States,  which  was  an  un 
popular  measure,  and  Paredes  took  advantage  of  it  to  unseat  Her 
rera.  He  became  president  himself,  and  soon  after  involved  his 
country  in  war  with  the  United  States.  His  ill  fortune  in  that  war, 
of  course  caused  his  fall,  and  the  elevation  of  Santa  Anna. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    MEXICAN    WAR. 


HE  same  causes  which  produced 
the  revolution  in  Texas,  and 
which  carried  her  triumphantly 
through  its  checkered  events, 
induced  her  people  to  regard 
the  United  States  with  admi 
ration  and  gratitude.  Most  of 
the  Texan  colonists  had  once 
been  citizens  of  the  Union ; 
they  had  grown  up  with  her 
growth,  and  rejoiced  in  her 
prosperity ;  when  a  worse  than 
savage  warfare  had  desolated 
their  borders,  her  sons  had  been  the  first  to  rush  to  their  assistance ; 
it  was  her  army,  her  soldiers,  her  skill,  that  had  routed  Santa  Anna 
at  San  Jacinto,  and  throughout  the  whole  struggle,  the  consciousness 
that  a  superior  power  was  sympathizing  with  them,  had  nerved  their 
people  to  action.  These  were  the  grounds  for  that  high  respect 
evinced  by  the  Texans  towards  the  United  States.  They  made  her 
proud  of  her  origin,  of  her  struggle,  and  of  her  geographical  posi- 
178 


TEXAN    SETTLERS.  179 

tion  near  such  an  ally,  and  induced  her,  as  we  have  seen,  to  model 
her  national  constitution  after  that  of  her  foster  parent. 

With  these  feelings  of  regard  for  the  United  States,  were  mingled 
others  little  less  powerful.  Mexico  had  not  yet  consented  to  the  par 
tition  of  her  ancient  empire ;  she  had  denounced  the  forced  agree 
ment  with  Santa  Anna,  and  declared  her  determination  never  to 
assent  to  Texan  independence.  At  that  time,  this  determination 
seemed  but  the  effect  of  the  impotent  ravings  consequent  on  mor 
tified  pride ;  but  it  was  by  no  means  improbable  that  a  time  might 
come,  when,  having  suppressed  internal  faction,  she  would  pour  down 
her  concentrated  legions  upon  the  thinly  peopled  villages  of  Texas, 
and  desolate  whole  provinces.  Even  should  this  not  happen,  the 
system  of  petty  warfare  perpetually  maintained  along  the  borders, 
prevented  all  repose  and  security.  Texas  began  to  feel  herself  in 
adequate  to  the  harassing  struggle,  which  rendered  formidable  even 
the  weakness  of  her  obstinate  foe.  Her  only  resource  was  the  esta 
blishment  of  such  a  relation  with  the  United  States  as  would  awe 
Mexico,  and  secure  to  herself  safety  and  respectability,  both  at  home 
and  abroad. 

But,  in  addition  to  all  this,  there  was  another  reason  why  Texas 
leaned  toward  the  northern  republic  with  a  feeling  of  weakness  and 
dependence.  The  original  settlers  of  the  country  had  been  mostly 
daring  adventurers,  bred  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  western  life,  and 
dependent  on  the  rifle  for  their  very  subsistence.  The  trapper,  the 
buffalo  hunter,  the  restless,  roving,  backwoodsman,  who,  like  the 
Indian,  moved  westward  as  civilization  encroached  on  his  solitudes 
— these  were  the  fathers  of  the  Texan  revolution.  In  battle,  and 
among  the  denizens  of  the  forest,  they  were  irresistible ;  but  to  meet 
in  organized  convention  to  form  laws  for  a  new  nation,  and  to  go 
through  the  drudgery  necessary  to  the  first  exercise  of  such  laws, 
were  labours  utterly  above  their  abilities.  With  some  few  allow 
ances  for  manner  of  life,  they  could  accommodate  themselves  to  al 
most  any  old  government ;  but  to  originate  a  new  one,  or  to  execute 
it  after  its  origination,  was  the  point  at  which  they  failed.  Unlike 
the  people  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies,  they  had  never  made  govern 
ment  and  the  rights  of  man,  both  natural  and  acquired,  their  study. 

It  was  in  view  of  all  these  circumstances,  that  Texas,  at  a  very 
early  period  of  her  struggle,  expressed  a  desire  to  be  united  as  a 
state  to  the  American  Union.  She  had  apparently  battled,  not  so 
much  for  absolute  independence,  as  for  emancipation  from  Mexican 
tyranny ;  and  in  order  to  secure  this  object>  she  laid  less  stress  on 
national  sovereignty,  than  upon  a  state  of  dependence  which  would 
insure  her  safety.  This  disposition  seems  a  little  strange.  Most 


180 


CAUSES   OF   THE    MEXICAN   WAR. 


nations,  however  small,  vaunt  themselves  in  their  independence  of 
foreign  control,  especially  if  that  independence  has  been  achieved 
by  their  own  efforts.  The  reasons  given  are,  however,  the  solution  ; 
the  burden  of  self-government  was  too  great  for  a  young  and  irregu 
larly  settled  country. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1837,  the  government  of  Texas  made  a 
proposition  to  the  American  Union  to  be  admitted  as  a  state.  Mr. 
Van  Buren  was  then  president.  After  mature  deliberation,  he  re 
fused  to  receive  the  proposition,  since,  as  he  alleged,  it  would  vio 
late  the  treaty  of  amity  between  Mexico  and  our  government,  and 
by  espousing  the  Texan  quarrel,  involve  two  friendly  nations  in  un 
necessary  war.  The  offer  was  not  pressed,  and  Texas  still  remained 
exposed  to  the  desultory  attacks  of  small  parties  from  Mexico.  Nego 
tiations  for  loans  and  troops  were,  however,  carried  on  with  the 
United  States,  and  also  with  Europe.  No  definite  interference  was 
made  by  any  of  the  powers  who  were  applied  to. 

R.  VAN  BUREN'S  administration  ter 
minated  while  affairs  were  in  this  po 
sition.  Mr.  Tyler  soon  after  assumed 
the  executive  chair.  The  subject  of 
Texan  annexation  seems  to  have  early 
engrossed  his  attention,  although  it 
was  strenuously  opposed  by  the  party 
which  had  elevated  him  to  power,  as 
well  as  by  a  large  portion  of  their  po 
litical  opponents.  On  the  6th  of  Oc 
tober,  1843,  Mr.  Upshur,  secretary  of 
state,  intimated  to  the  Texan  minister 
that  proposals  of  annexation  would  no* 
be  unfavourably  received,  and  recom 
mended  a  renewal  of  efforts  for  that  purpose.  This  was  communi 
cated  to  the  president  of  Texas,  who  immediately  closed  with  the 
proposal. 

These  movements  of  Mr.  Tyler  attracted  the  notice  of  both  the 
political  parties  in  the  Union,  and  drew  out  the  opinions  of  leading 
men,  and  the  criticisms  of  the  press.  The  Whig  party  in  general 
showed  themselves  utterly  averse  to  the  measure ;  but  with  their  an 
tagonists  the  scheme  daily  gained  ground.  It  soon  became  one  of 
the  great  topics  of  discussion ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  official  term  of 
the  president  drew  near  its  close,  it  was  more  and  more  evident  that 
annexation  would  be  one  of  the  rallying  points  on  which,  during  the 
national  election,  the  opposing  masses  would  test  their  strength.  At 
the  same  time,  Mexico  was  not  idle.  She  had  watched  the  dan 


BOCANEGRA'S  LETTER  TO  THOMPSON.      181 


Bocanegrau 

gerous  movement  from  its  origin,  and  the  fear  of  losing  a  large  por 
tion  of  her  territory,  roused  her  to  exertions  greater  than  any  she  had 
put  forth  since  her  revolution.  As  Mr.  Van  Buren  had  predicted, 
she  declared  that  the  act  would  be  a  violation  of  the  treaty  between 
the  two  nations,  the  forerunner  and  signal  for  war,  and  an  infringe 
ment  of  the  law  of  nations.  She  declared  her  determination  never 
to  yield  Texas,  while  it  received  assistance  from  a  foreign  power ; 
and  denounced  the  Texans  as  a  band  of  outlaws,  incapable  of  govern 
ing  themselves,  and  driven  by  the  fear  of  anarchy,  to  beg  a  union 
with  some  stronger  nation.  "  If  a  party  in  Texas  is  now  endeavour 
ing  to  effect  its  incorporation  with  the  United  States,  it  is  from  a 
consciousness  of  their  notorious  incapability  to  form  and  constitute  an 
independent  nation,  without  their  having  changed  their  situation,  or 
acquired  any  right  to  separate  themselves  from  their  mother  country.  ^ 
His  Excellency,  the  provisional  president,  resting  on  this  deep  con 
viction,  is  obliged  to  prevent  an  aggression,  unprecedented  in  the 
annals  of  the  world,  from  being  consummated  ;  and  if  it  is  indispen 
sable  for  the  Mexican  nation  to  seek  security  for  its  rights  at  the 
expense  of  the  disasters  of  war,  it  will  call  upon  God,  and  rely  on 
its  own  efforts  for  the  defence  of  its  just  cause."  Such  was  the 
language  addressed  by  Mr.  Bocanegra,  the  Mexican  minister  of 
foreign  relations,  to  Waddy  Thompson,  American  minister  in  Mexico. 
The  note  was  dated  August  23,  1843. 

Notwithstanding  this  express  declaration  of  anticipated  war,  neithei 
Texas  or  the  United  States  relaxed  their  efforts,  to  effect  a  treaty  of 
annexation.  The  protest  of  Mr.  Bocanegra  was  but  slightly  noticed, 
and  the  newspapers  and  leading  statesmen  favourable  to  the  measure, 

Q 


182 


CAUSES   OF   THE    MEXICAN   WAR. 


exerted  every  effort  to  have  it  consummated.  Political  meetings 
echoed  warm  responses  to  the  desire  of  the  Texans ;  and  amid  the 
stars  which  decorated  the  national  colours,  was  hung  another — the 
"one  lone  star" — to  complete  the  sovereignty  of  American  empire. 
Alarmed  by  these  demonstrations,  Mexico  repeated,  through  General 
Almonte,  minister  at  Washington,  her  remonstrances  and  threats  of 
If,"  says  that  officer,  in  a  note  to  Mr.  Upshur,  [November 


war. 


3,  1843,]  "  contrary  to  the  hopes  and  wishes  entertained  by  the 
government  of  the  undersigned,  for  the  preservation  of  the  good 
understanding  and  harmony  which  should  reign  between  the  two 
neighbouring  and  friendly  republics,  the  United  States  should  in  de 
fiance  of  good  faith,  and  the  principles  of  justice,  which  they  have 
constantly  proclaimed,  commit  the  unheard  of  act  of  violence  of  ap 
propriating  to  themselves  an  integral  part  of  the  Mexican  territory, 
the  undersigned,  in  the  name  of  his  nation,  and  now  for  them  protests 
in  the  most  solemn  manner  against  such  an  aggression  ;  and  he  more 
over  declares,  by  express  order  of  his  government,  that  on  sanction 
being  given  by  the  executive  of  the  Union  to  the  incorporation  of 
Texas  into  the  United  States,  he  will  consider  his  mission  ended, 
seeing  that,  as  the  secretary  of  state  will  have  learned,  the  Mexican 
government  is  resolved  to  declare  war  as  soon  as  it  receives  intima 
tion  of  such  an  act." 

Such  was  the  position  of  the  Texas  annexation  question,  when,  on 
the  28th  of  February,  1844,  Mr.  Upshur,  American  secretary  of 
state  was  killed  by  an  explosion  on  board  of  the  steamer  Princeton. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  with  whom  annexation 
was  a  favourite  project.  It  was  accordingly  carried  forward  so 
vigorously  by  that  active  statesman. 

R.  CALHOUN,  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1844,  with  Messrs.  Van  Zandt  and 
Henderson,  ministers  plenipotentiary 
of  Texas,  signed  a  treaty  constituting 
Texas  a  part  of  the  American  Union. 
Mr.  Tyler  submitted  this  instrument 
to  the  Senate,  April  22,  1844,  and  on 
the  8th  of  June  that  body,  by  a  vote 
of  thirty- five  to  sixteen,  rejected  it, 
A  respite  was  thus  allowed  for  a 
more  ample  consideration  of  the 
subject;  and  during  this  interval, 
Mexico  exerted  all  her  influence,  to 
defeat  the  measure,  should  it  again 
be  brought  before  the  American  people, 


ANNEXATION    OF   TEXAS. 


183 


At  the  presidential  election  in  November,  1844,  the  annexation 
of  Texas  was  made  the  great  question  round  which  the  Democratic 
party  rallied.  Mr.  Polk,  their  candidate,  was  elected ;  and  this 
being  construed  by  President  Tyler  as  a  proof  of  the  measure 
being  acceptable  to  a  majority  of  the  people,  he  directed  all 
his  efforts  to  effect  another  treaty  before  the  termination  of  his 
official  term.  He  succeeded.  On  the  1st  of  March,  1845,  Congress 
passed  the  joint  resolution,  providing  that  the  territory  "  rightfully 
belonging  to  the  republic  of  Texas,  should  form  part  of  the  Ameri 
can  Union  on  condition  that  the  latter  government  should  settle  all 
questions  of  boundary  that  may  arise  with  other  governments." 

R.  TYLER,  as  president,  signed  the 
document  on  the  same  day,  and  on  the 
4th  of  July  it  was  ratified  by  the  Texan 
Convention.  The  act  thus  consum 
mated,  was  by  far  the  most  important 
of  Mr.  Tyler's  administration. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  the  terms 
of  the  joint  resolution  assigned  to  the 
United  States  the  almost  hopeless  task 
of  settling  the  boundary  between  Texas 
and  Mexico,  at  a  time  when  the  latter 
power  had  solemnly  declared  war  to  be 
a  consequence  of  the  adoption  of  the 
joint  resolution.  The  question  of  dis 
puted  boundary  is  always  a  vexed  one  ;  but  under  the  above  circum 
stances,  its  troubles  and  aggravation  promised  to  be  endless.  The 
Texans  claimed  the  whole  country  east  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Santa 
Anna,  while  a  prisoner  in  the  United  States,  thus  denned  the  bound 
ary  :  "  Beginning,"  he  says,  "  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  thence 
up  the  principal  stream  of  said  river  to  its  source ;  thence  due  north 
to  the  42d°  of  north  latitude  ;  thence  along  the  boundary  line  as  de 
fined  in  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Spain  (February, 
1819,)  to  the  beginning."  The  Americans  rested  a  claim  on  the 
latter  treaty.  But  this  seems  inadmissible,  inasmuch  as  Santa  Anna 
was  then  a  captive,  evidently  acting  against  his  intentions,  and  in 
addition  to  which,  the  Mexican  government  refused  to  sanction  his 
act,  which  sanction  the  instrument  required  previous  to  becoming  an 
international  law.  Thus  the  question  of  boundary  being  left  open, 
afforded  opportunities  which  have  since  been  improved,  of  fomenting 
the  unhappy  rupture  between  two  sister  republics,  and  rendering  still 
more  exasperated  the  feelings  which  have  ever  been  entertained  be 
tween  them  concerning  Texas. 

o 


184 


CAUSES    OF   THE    MEXICAN   WAR. 


Although  the  annexation  of  Texas  had  been  expected  by  Mexico, 
yet  the  blow  seems  to  have  been  unexpected.  On  the  6th  of 
March,  1845,  only  a  few  days  after  the  ratification  of  the  joint  reso 
lution,  the  minister  at  Washington  denounced  it  as  "  an  act  of  aggres 
sion  the  most  unjust  which  can  be  found  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
modern  history — namely,  that  of  despoiling  a  friendly  nation  like 
Mexico,  of  a  considerable  portion  of  her  territory."  At  the  same 
time  he  declared  his  mission  ended,  and  on  demanding  and  receiving 
his  passports,  he  returned  to  Mexico. 

Meanwhile,  the  danger  of  losing  Texas  had  had  the  effect  of  uniting, 
in  some  measure,  the  various  parties  of  Mexico,  in  opposition  to  the 
measure.  Herrera,  the  president,  was  disposed  to  a  peaceful  adjust 
ment  of  the  difficulty ;  but  the  popular  voice  was  loud  against  him. 

ON  MARIANA  PAREDES,  a  conspicuous  mi 
litary  leader,  and  a  bitter  enemy  of  the  United 
States,  was  the  principal  chief  of  the  opposi 
tion,  and  strenuous  efforts  were  now  made 
to  overthrow  the  existing  government.  Her 
rera,  however,  maintained  a  firm  pacific 
policy.  The  government  was  not  in  a  con 
dition  to  become  the  aggressors  in  a  struggle 
with  their  northern  neighbour ;  and  news 
was  received  at  Washington  that  Mexico 
was  really  willing  to  listen  to  terms  of  recon 
ciliation.  Accordingly,  in  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  1845,  instructions  were  sent  from  Washington  to  our  consul 
in  Mexico,  "  to  ascertain  from  the  Mexican  government  whether  they 
would  receive  an  envoy  from  the  United  States,  intrusted  with  full 
power  to  adjust  all  questions  in  dispute  between  the  two  govern 
ments."  In  October  the  proposition  was  submitted  to  the  Mexican 
minister  of  state,  who  returned  a  favourable  answer.  His  language 
is  important.  "  In  answer  I  have  to  say  to  you,  that  although  the 
Mexican  nation  is  deeply  injured  by  the  United  States  through  the 
acts  committed  by  them  in  the  department  of  Texas,  which  belongs 
to  this  nation,  my  government  is  disposed  to  receive  the  commis 
sioner  of  the  United  States  who  may  come  to  this  capital  with  full 
powers  from  his  government  to  settle  the  present  dispute,  in  a  peace 
ful,  reasonable,  and  honourable  manner As  my  government 

believes  this  invitation  to  be  made  in  good  faith,  and  with  the  real 
desire  that  it  may  lead  to  a  favourable  conclusion,  it  also  hopes  that 
the  commissioner  will  be  a  person  endowed  with  the  qualities  proper 
for  the  attainment  of  this  end  ;  that  his  dignity,  prudence,  and  mode 
ration,  and  the  discreetness  and  reasonableness  of  his  proposals  will 


**. 
COMMISSIONER    APPOINTED.  185 

contribute  to  calm,  as  much  as  possible,  the  just  irritation  of  the 
Mexicans ;  and  in  fine,  that  the  conduct  of  the  commissioner  on  all 
points,  may  be  such  as  to  persuade  them  that  they  may  obtain  satis 
faction  for  their  injuries  through  the  means  of  reason  and  peace,  and 
without  being  obliged  to  resort  to  those  of  arms  and  force." 

As  the  United  States  had  already  sent  a  naval  force  to  Vera  Cruz, 
the  Mexican  minister  requested  that  it  might  be  withdrawn,  "  lest  its 
continued  presence  might  assume  the  appearance  of  menace  and 
coercion,  pending  the  negotiations."  This  was  complied  with. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1845,  Mr.  John  Slidell,  of  Louisiana,  was 
commissioned  by  President  Polk,  as  envoy  extraordinary,  and  minis 
ter  plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  to  Mexico,  and  was  in 
trusted  with  full  powers  to  adjust  both  the  questions  of  the  Texas 
boundary  and  of  indemnification  to  our  citizens.  The  new  functionary 
set  out  immediately,  and  arrived  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  30th  of  Novem 
ber.  He  was  courteously  received,  but  found  the  country  in  a  state 
of  fearful  irritation.  Notwithstanding  that  every  effort  had  been 
made  by  both  governments  to  keep  a  knowledge  of  his  mission  and 
its  object,  from  the  people,  yet  vague  rumours  had  been  dissemi 
nated,  and  thousands  were  now  openly  accusing  Herrera  of  treason, 
in  wishing  to  alienate  a  portion  of  Mexico  to  the  United  States. 
Government  itself  was  not  prepared  for  his  sudden  arrival.  So  long 
as  no  commissioner  or  minister  was  actually  in  the  country,  the  go 
vernment  seemed  able  to  stand  up  against  the  imputations  of  treason 
which  were  heaped  upon  it ;  but  at  this  juncture,  should  the  envoy 
suddenly  present  himself  at  the  capital,  it  expected  to  be  utterly  over 
thrown.  Mr.  Black,  the  American  minister,  was  immediately  in 
formed  of  this  embarrassment,  and  was  earnestly  desired  to  prevail 
on  Mr.  Slidell  to  abstain  from  too  sudden  an  appearance  at  the  capi 
tal.  "His  appearance  at  the  capital,  at  this  time,"  said  the  minister 
of  foreign  aflfars,  "  might  prove  destructive  to  the  government,  and 
thus  defeat  the  whole  affair.  You  know  the  opposition  are  calling 
us  traitors  for  entering  into  this  arrangement  with  you."  The  object 
of  the  government  was  to  delay  the  negotiation  until  the  following 
month,  when  the  new  congress  would  assemble,  under  whose  coun 
tenance  and  protection  it  would  feel  itself  strong  enough  to  enter 
upon  such  a  delicate  business 

On  receiving  this  notice  from  the  Mexican  minister,  Mr.  Black 
immediately  left  Mexico,  and  met  Mr.  Slidell  at  Puebla.  The  envoy, 
however,  deemed  it  his  duty  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  capital 
He  entered  it  on  the  6th  of  December,  and.  on  the  8th  requested  his 
recognition  by  the  existing  government.  The  Mexican  minister  de 
layed  an  answer,  a  circumstance  that  drew  two  more  requests  from 
Q2  24 


186        CAUSES  OF  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 

the  envoy.  On  the  24th  of  December,  government  refused  to  receive 
Mr.  Slidell,  in  any  other  capacity  than  that  to  which  they  had  at  first 
agreed — as  a  minister  to  settle  the  Texas  boundary,  exclusive  of  all 
other  questions. 

Only  a  few  days  after,  the  storm  burst.  Herrera  was  deposed, 
(December  30,)  and  General  Paredes  became  supreme  governor  of 
Mexico.  He  refused  to  receive  Mr.  Slidell,  and  that  officer  returned 
to  the  United  States. 

Meanwhile  President  Polk,  as  head  of  the  national  army,  had  been 
assiduously  preparing  for  war.  On  the  21st  of  March,  1845,  orders 
were  issued  to  General  Zachary  Taylor,  commandant  at  Fort  Jessup, 
Louisiana,  to  prepare  the  troops  at  that  place  for  marching  into  Texas 
as  soon  as  ordered.  On  the  28th  of  May,  Secretary  Marcy,  of  the  war 
department,  wrote  to  the  general  as  follows :  "  By  order  of  the  presi 
dent,  you  are  directed  to  cause  the  forces  now  under  your  command, 
and  those  which  may  be  assigned  to  it,  to  be  put  into  a  position  where 
they  may  most  promptly  and  efficiently  act  in  defence  of  Texas,  in 
the  event  it  should  become  necessary  or  proper  to  employ  them  for 
that  purpose."  Further  instructions  were  added  by  Mr.  Bancroft, 
ad  interim  secretary  of  war,  on  the  15th  of  June,  1845.  "  On  the 
4th  of  July,  or  very  soon  thereafter,  the  convention  of  the  people  of 
Texas,  will  probably  accept  the  proposition  of  annexation,  under  the 
joint  resolution  of  the  late  congress  of  the  United  States.  That  ac 
ceptance  will  constitute  Texas  an  intregal  portion  of  our  country. 

"  In  anticipation  of  that  event  you  will  forthwith  make  a  forward 
movement  with  the  troops  under  your  command,  and  advance  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Sabine,  or  to  such  other  point  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
or  its  navigable  waters,  as  in  your  judgment.may  be  most  convenient 
for  an  embarkation,  at  the  proper  time  for  the  western  frontier  oi 

Texas The  point  of  your  ultimate  destination  is  the 

western  frontier  of  Texas,  where  you  will  select  and  occupy  in  or 
near  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  such  a  site  as  will  consist  with  the 
health  of  your  troops  and  will  be  best  adapted  to  repel  invasion,  and 
to  protect  what  in  the  event  of  annexation  will  be  our  western  bor 
der.  You  will  limit  yourself  to  the  defence  of  the  territory  of  Texas, 
unless  Mexico  should  declare  war  against  the  United  States.  Your 
movement  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  your  preparations  to  embark 
for  the  western  frontier  of  Texas  are  to  be  made  without  delay  ;  but 
you  will  not  effect  a  landing  on  that  frontier,  until  you  have  yourself 
ascertained  the  due  acceptance  by  Texas  of  the  proffered  terms  of 
annexation." 

On  the  4th  of  July,  Texas  accepted,  as  has  already  been  men 
tioned,  the  joint  resolution,  thus  constituting  herself  a  part  of  the 


TAYLOR  ORDERED  TO  TEXAS.        187 


Corpus  ChristL 

American  Union.  On  the  7th,  she  requested  President  Polk  to 
occupy  her  ports,  and  send  an  army  for  her  defence.  In  answer  to 
this  demand,  the  president  immediately  ordered  General  Taylor  to 
Corpus  Christi.  He  was  directed  to  confine  himself  to  Texas,  unless 
the  Mexicans  attempted  to  cross  the  Rio  Grande,  in  which  case  he 
was  authorized  to  invade  Mexico.  The  propriety  of  advancing  fur 
ther  towards  the  Rio  Grande  was  left  to  his  discretion. 

During  all  this  time,  General  Taylor  supposed  that  negotiations  for 
peace  were  being  carried  on  with  a  prospect  of  success.  This  belief 
was  strengthened  by  a  letter  from  Commodore  Conner,  of  the  Ameri 
can  Gulf  squadron,  dated  Vera  Cruz,  October  24,  by  which  the 
general  was  informed,  "that  the  Mexican  government  had  just 
acceded  to  the  proposal  to  arrange  the  existing  difficulties  by  nego 
tiation.  But  on  the  13th  of  January,  1846,  Secretary  Marcy  in 
structed  him  as  follows : — "  I  am  directed  by  the  president  to  instruct 
you  to  advance  and  occupy,  with  the  troops  under  your  command, 
positions  on  or  near  the  east  bank  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  as  soon  as  it 
can  conveniently  be  done,  with  reference  to  the  season  and  the  routes 
by  which  your  movements  must  be  made.  From  the  views  hereto 
fore  presented  to  this  department,  it  is  presumed  Point  Isabel  will  be 
considered  by  you  an  eligible  situation.  This  point,  or  some  one 
near  it,  and  points  opposite  Matamoras  and  Mier,  and  in  the  vicinity 


188 


CAUSES    OF    THE    MEXICAN   WAR. 


Drilling  raw  Recruits. 


of  Loredo,  are  suggested  to  your  consideration.  Should  you  at 
tempt  to  exercise  the  right,  which  the  United  States  have  in  common 
with  Mexico,  to  a  free  navigation  of  the  Del  Norte,  it  is  probable 
that  Mexico  would  interpose  resistance.  You  will  not  attempt  to 
enforce  this  right  without  further  instructions. 

While  at  Corpus  Christi,  General  Taylor  occupied  himself  in 
teaching  his  newly  levied  troops  the  difficult  and  tedious  duties  ot 
military  discipline.  His  whole  force  was  four  thousand  and  forty- 
nine,  but  in  case  of  emergency  he  had  been  authorized  "  to  ac 
cept  volunteers  from  the  states  of  Louisiana  and  Alabama,  and  even 
from  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  and  Kentucky."  It  is  added  in  the 
same  letter,  "  Should  Mexico  declare  war,  or  commence  hostilities., 
by  crossing  the  Rio  Grande  with  a  considerable  force,  you  are  in 
structed  to  lose  no  time  in  giving  information  to  the  authorities  of 
each  or  any  of  the  above-mentioned  states,  as  to  the  number  of  volun 
teers  you  may  want  irom  them  respectively.  Should  you  require 
troops  from  any  of  these  states,  it  would  be  important  to  have  them 
with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  authorities  of  these  states  will 
be  apprized  that  you  are  authorized  to  receive  volunteers  from  them. 


189 

and  you  may  calculate  that  they  will  promptly  join  you  when  it  is 
made  known  that  their  services  are  required.  Orders  have  been 
issued  to  the  naval  force  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  co-operate  with 
you.  You  will,  as  far  as  practicable,  hold  communication  with  the 
commanders  of  our  national  vessels  in  your  vicinity,  and  avail  your 
self  of  any  assistance  that  can  be  derived  from  their  co-operation.'* 

Corpus  Christi  is  well  situated,  both  for  promoting  the  health  of  an 
army,  and  affording  opportunities  for  the  evolutions  of  discipline. 
The  village  stands  on  the  western  shore  of  Corpus  Christi  bay.  It 
consists  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  houses,  partly  situated  on  a  shelf 
of  land  elevated  some  six  or  eight  feet  above  the  water,  about  two 
hundred  yards  broad,  and  on  a  bluff  which  rises  from  the  plain  to 
the  height  of  one  hundred  feet.  The  bay  at  this  point  is  in  the  shape 
of  a  crescent,  extending  in  a  south-east  direction  to  Padre  Island, 
and  north-west  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nueces. 

On  the  8th  of  March  the  second  regiment  of  dragoons  under  Colo 
nel  Twiggs,  with  Ringgold's  artillery,  commenced  its  march  for  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  first  and  second  brigade,  under  General  Worth  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Mclntosh  followed  on  the  9th  and  10th.  The  re 
mainder  of  the  army,  accompanied  by  General  Taylor  and  staff,  left 
on  the  llth.  The  variety  of  scenery  through  which  the  troops 
passed,  during  this  march,  has  perhaps  never  been  surpassed  within 
the  same  limits.  At  first  the  country  appeared  like  one  vast  garden, 
waving  with  flowers  of  the  most*  gorgeous  dyes.  Then  followed  a 
rolling  prairie,  succeeded  by  an  arid  waste,  destitute  of  either  water 
or  vegetation.  "  We  had  fourteen  miles  to  march  to  get  water,"  says 
Captain  Henry,  on  the  18th  of  March,  "  and  were  forced  to  halt  re 
peatedly  ;  and  the  men  sat  down  with  parched  mouths  upon  the  hot 
sand,  with  the  tropical  sun  beating  on  them.  The  prairie  had  a  few 
sickly  blades  of  grass  upon  it ;  the  sand  was  like  hot  ashes,  and  when 
you  stepped  upon  it  you  sank  up  to  the  ankle.  The  last  two  miles  I 
could  not  but  pity  the  men ;  many  gave  out  and  lay  down  by  the 
roadside,  perfectly  exhausted,  and  looking  as  if  they  did  not  care  for 
life."  This  was  succeeded  by  a  more  genial  region,  consisting  of  a 
hard  clayey  soil,  covered  by  light  vegetation  and  woods.  On  reach 
ing  the  Colorado,  [March  20,]  the  Americans  observed  about  thirty 
Mexicans,  who  threatened  to  fire,  should  the  general  cross  that  stream. 
At  the  same  time  bugles  were  sounded  for  a  considerable  distance 
up  the  river,  and  a  skirmish  seemed  inevitable.  The  general  pre 
pared  to  cross ;  and  while  his  men  were  cutting  down  the  bank  to 
facilitate  the  passage  of  the  train,  he  apprized  the  Mexicans,  that  the 
first  Mexican  he  saw,  after  his  men  had  entered  the  water,  should  be 
shot.  The  troops  then  pushed  into  the  river,  the  batteries  were 


190  CAUSES    OF    THE  MEXICAN   WAR 

drawn  up  to  cover  the  passage,  and  the  port  fires  lighted.  ^  A  batta 
lion  of  four  artillery  companies,  under  Captain  C.  F.  Smith,  com 
posed  the  forlorn  hope.  General  Worth  and  staff  rode  to  their  front 
and  led  the  way.  At  this  moment  the  adjutant-general  of  General 
Mejia,  commandant  of  Matamoras,  approached  General  Taylor  with 
a  paper  from  his  superior,  forbidding  his  crossing,  and  stating  that 
he  would  regard  the  act  as  a  declaration  of  war.  He  further  declared 
that  a  fight  was  inevitable.  The  Americans  crossed,  however,  with 
out  opposition. 

West  of  the  Colorado,  the  appearance  of  the  country  took  an 
entire  change,  presenting  a  beauty  and  luxuriance,  as  new  to  the 
soldiers  as  it  was  healthful  and  refreshing.  Captain  Henry,  speak 
ing  of  the  24th  of  March,  says : — "  I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  felt  a 
sweeter  or  a  fresher  morning.  The  morning-star  and  moon  were 
about  setting;  the  former,  even  as  day  broke,  looked  like  a  diamond 
set  in  the  cle^r  blue  sky.  The  country  was  beautiful.  We  marched 
through  a  wilderness  of  mesquite  and  acacia  thickets,  fragrant  with 
the  blossom  of  the  latter.  The  grass  was  rich.  The  pea-vine,  with 
its  delicate  blossom  abundant,  and  the  country  sufficiently  rolling  to 
relieve  the  eye.  The  air  from  the  sea  was  delightful,  and  every 
thing  in  nature  appeared  so  happy,  that  it  was  perfectly  exhilarating. 

Emerging  from  the  mesquite,  after  a  march  of  three  miles,  we 

came  suddenly  upon  an  open  prairie,  extending  apparently  to  the 
gulf,  with  no  trees  visible.  The  mirage  in  the  distance  was  beauti 
ful  ;  singular,  too,  for  it  looked  as  if  the  prairie  was  on  fire,  whereas 
it  was  the  waves  of  this  peculiarly  heated  atmosphere.  We  marched 
for  some  distance  through  a  wilderness  of  wild  peas,  than  which 
nothing  is  more  nutritious  for  animals ;  the  mesquite  grass  was  also 
very  luxuriant. 

On  the  evening  of  the  23d,  General  Taylor  was  met  by  a  Mexi 
can  from  Point  Isabel,  who  reported  that  the  guard  stationed  there 
had  left  for  Matamoras,  and  that  all  the  houses,  except  one,  had  been 
burned.  ,  On  the  following  day,  the  general  halted  his  command  on 
the  road,  and  leaving  the  main  army  with  General  Worth,  he  started 
for  Point  Isabel  with  the  wagons  and  an  escort  of  dragoons.  Worth 
marched  the  troops  within  twelve  miles  of  Matamoras,  and  there 
halted. 

When  near  Point  Isabel,  General  Taylor  was  met  by  a  number  of 
Mexicans,  among  whom  was  the  prefect  of  Tamaulipas.  These  had 
been  constituted  a  mission  to  protest  against  his  occupation  of  their 
territory.  While  the  interview  lasted,  smoke  was  observed  to  rise 
from  the  point,  and  the  general  was  convinced  that  its  buildings  had 
been  purposely  fired.  He  therefore  directed  the  attention  of  the 


AMERICAN   ARMY    AT  THE    RIO   GRANDE.        191 


Point  Isabel. 

delegation  to  this  evidence  of  hostility,  and  informed  them,  that  their 
communication  would  be  answered  by  him,  when  opposite  Mata- 
moras.  He  then  sent  the  dragoons,  under  Colonel  Twiggs,  to  arrest 
the  flames..  The  colonel  succeeded  in  saving  a  few  buildings ;  but 
the  Mexican  authorities  had  alreadly  left  the  place.  General  Taylor 
soon  followed  the  dragoons,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  the 
expected  supplies  had  already  arrived  by  steamboat.  The  point 
was  surveyed  with  a  view  to  its  defence,  and  a  work  ordered  to  be 
constructed  under  the  superintendence  of  Captain  Sanders  of  the 
engineers.  Major  John  Munroe,  who  had  lately  arrived  with  the 
transports,  was  intrusted  with  the  command.  He  was  provided  with 
two  companies  of  artillery,  consisting  of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  with  six  brass  six-pounders,  two  long  eighteens,  and  two  ships' 
guns.  The  fort  was  amply  provided  with  provisions,  powder,  and 
ball. 

On  the  25th,  General  Worth  moved  the  camp  three  miles  to  Palo 
Alto.  Here,  on  the  27th,  he  was  joined  by  General  Taylor,  at  the 
head  of  the  dragoons  and  staff.  The  march  recommenced  on  the 
28th;  at  eleven  o'clock  of  which  day,  the  army  reached  the  Rio 
Grande. 

Thus  ended  the  famous  march  from  Corpus  Christi  to  the  Del 
Norte.  As  a  military  feat,  there  is  nothing  remarkable  about  it,  ex 
cept  the  exactness  and  promptitude  with  which  each  part  was  exe- 


192       CAUSES  OF  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 

cuted.  But  its  consequences  were  weighty ;  it  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  commencement  of  hostilities  by  the  Mexicans.  It  is  cer 
tain,  that  prior  to  it,  the  inhabitants  along  the  river  were  well  disposed 
toward  the  Americans.  Traders  from  Matamoras  were  constantly  in 
the  camp  at  Corpus  Christi.  In  February,  General  Taylor  mentions 
some  influential  citizens  of  that  town  as  then  in  his  camp,  with  a 
large  number  of  mules  for  sale.  The  interview  with  the  prefect  of 
Tamaulipas,  and  the  warning  at  the  Arroya  Colorado  had  led  to 
no  ill  words  or  rash  conduct.  Thus  far,  all  had  been  bloodless. 

During  the  march,  the  great  advantages  of  the  discipline  acquired 
at  Corpus  Christi,  were  conspicuously  exhibited.  With  large  por 
tions  of  the  troops,  it  was  the  first  time  that  the  evolutions  of  the  line 
had  been  witnessed.  At  the  Colorado,  in  the  face  of  expected  re 
sistance,  the  passage  was  effected  with  a  degree  of  order,  regularity, 
and  despatch,  eminently  creditable.  The  field-pieces  being  placed 
in  battery  on  the  banks,  so  as  to  cover  the  crossing,  the  advance  was 
led  by  Captain  C.  F.  Smith,  of  the  2d  artillery,  with  the  light  com 
panies  of  the  2d  bigade,  (Worth's.)  A  more  steady  and  spirited 
movement  has  rarely  been  witnessed.  The  same  promptness,  and 
soldier-like  conduct,  was  displayed  by  Colonel  Twiggs  at  Point  Isabel. 

Two  hours  after  the  arrival  of  the  Americans  opposite  Matamoras, 
the  national  flag  was  planted  on  the  river  bank,  amid  strains  of  pa 
triotic  music.  Simultaneously  with  its  appearance  the  colours  of 
France,  Spain,  and  England  were  run  up  from  the  different  con 
sulates.  Not  long  previous  to  this,  two  dragoons  of  the  advance 
guard  were  surprised  by  the  Mexicans,  and  carried  prisoners  into 
Matamoras.  This  seizure  caused  much  excitement ;  but  on  the  re 
quisition  of  General  Taylor,  the  men  with  their  effects  were  promptly 
returned.  They  had  received  good  treatment.  Immediately  after 
this  ceremony,  General  Worth  and  staff  was  sent  by  General  Taylor, 
as  the  bearer  of  despatches  to  the  commandant  at  Matamoras.  Worth 
appeared  on  the  Rio  Grande,  holding  a  white  flag,  and  was  soon  met 
by  two  Mexican  officers  and  an  interpreter  in  a  boat.  After  considerable 
delay,  General  Mejia,  the  commandant,  sent  General  La  Vega  to  meet 
the  American  officer.  A  long  but  fruitless  altercation  ensued. 
Worth  demanded  an  interview  with  the  American  consul,  which  was 
refused  ;  and  he  then  informed  La  Vega,  that  the  refusal  was  consi 
dered  as  a  "belligerent  act."  Soon  after  the  conference  closed,  and 
the  Americans  recrossed  the  river. 

Matamoras,  as  seen  from  the  American  camp,  is  thus  described  by 
Captain  Henry :  "  The  main  body  of  the  city  is  half  a  mile  from  the 
river ;  scattering  houses  near  the  bank.  From  our  position  we  can 
discover  several  strongholds,  and  it  looks  as  if  it  was  well  defended. 


DESCRIPTION    OF   MATA  MORAS. 


193 


It  is  reported  that  the  different  forts  are  well  supplied  with  ammuni 
tion,  and  ordnance  of  heavy  calibre.  At  this  point  the  river  runs 
nearly  east  and  west,  and  is  one  hundred  and  seventy  yards  wide. 
The  city  is  on  the  south  side,  and  situated  in  an  alluvial  bottom. 
The  soil  is  very  rich,  and  of  a  similar  character  to  that  on  the  Mis 
sissippi.  If  the  climate  is  not  too  dry  it  must  be  immensely  valuable. 
The  river  reminds  one  a  good  deal  of  the  Arkansas,  and  the  water 
is  capital  for  drinking.  The  Mexicans  expected  we  would  have  struck 
the  river  higher  up,  opposite  their  main  ferry,  where  they  are  reported 
to  be  actively  engaged  in  throwing  up  a  work." 


Mexican  Lancer. 


R 


25 


Th?  City  of  Matamoras. 


CHAPTER   X. 


OPENING    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN    ON    THE    RIO    GRANDE. 

FORT    BROWN. 


SIEGE    OF 


N  the  foregoing  chapter,  we  have  endea 
voured  to  detect  and  trace  the  genuine  causes 
.  of  hostilities  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico.  Commencing  at  the  battle  of 
San  Jacinto,  we  have  discovered  the  desire 
of  the  Texans,  even  at  that  early  date,  to  be 
admitted  into  the  northern  Union — the  ele 
ments  of  that  desire — the  efforts  to  satisfy  it — 
the  progress  of  the  question  of  annexation — 
its  final  consummation,  in  opposition  to  the 
pointed  remonstrances  of  Mexico — the  consequent  position  assumed 
by  the  latter  power — the  failure  of  negotiation — finally,  the  march 
of  an  armed  American  force  through  Texas  to  the  verge  of 
Mexico.  As  yet,  it  is  true,  there  had  been  no  declaration  of  war,  or 
(194) 


ERECTION   OF   FORT   BROWN.  195 

any  act  of  international  hostility ;  but  this  state  of  things  could  not 
long  last.  A  breath  of  wind  was  sufficient  to  lower  the  balance  for 
either  peace  or  war ;  and  unhappily  for  humanity,  the  dark  side  of 
the  alternative  prevailed.  The  partition  between  the  two  republics 
was  broken  down.  The  windows  of  wrath  opened,  and  the  besom 
of  destruction  swept  over  Mexico,  with  a  speed  and  violence  which 
soon  threatened  to  blot  out  her  nationality  for  ever. 

The  first  military  operations  on  both  sides  were  purely  defensive. 
General  Taylor,  on  March  29th,  the  day  after  arriving  on  the  river, 
says,  "  Our  approach  seems  to  have  created  much  excitement  in 
Matamoras,  and  a  great  deal  of  activity  has  been  displayed  since  our 
arrival  in  the  preparation  of  batteries.  The  left  bank  is  now  under 
reconnoissance  of  our  engineer  officers,  and  I  shall  lose  no  time  in 
strengthening  our  position,  by  such  defensive  works  as  may  be  ne 
cessary,  employing  for  that  purpose  a  portion  of  the  heavy  guns 
brought  round  by  sea."  A  few  days  after,  he  adds,  "  On  our  side, 
a  battery  for  four  eighteen-pounders  will  be  completed,  and  the  guns 
placed  in  battery  to-day.  The  guns  bear  directly  upon  the  public 
square  of  Matamoras,  and  within  good  range  for  demolishing  the 
town.  Their  object  cannot  be  mistaken  by  the  enemy,  and  will,  I 
think,  effectually  restrain  him  from  any  enterprises  upon  our  side  of 
the  river.  A  strong  bastioned  field  fort  for  a  garrison  of  five  hun 
dred  men  has  been  laid  out  by  the  engineers  in  the  rear  of  the  bat 
tery,  and  will  be  commenced  immediately.  This  work  will  enable 
a  brigade  to  maintain  this  position  against  any  Mexican  odds,  and 
will  leave  me  free  to  dispose  of  the  other  corps  as  considerations  of 
health  and  convenience  may  render  desirable."  Such  was  the  com 
mencement  of  Fort  Brown,  which  subsequently  became  famous  for 
its  gallant  resistance  to  a  vastly  superior  force,  and  for  the  death  of 
the  lamented  officer  after  whom  it  was  named. 

During  the  night  of  March  29th,  the  Mexicans  mounted  a  heavy 
gun  in  a  battery  made  of  sand  bags,  and  other  works  were  erected  at 
different  stations  along  the  river.  On  the  evening  following,  the 
American  camp  was  thrown  into  excitement  by  a  report  that  the 
enemy  had  determined  on  a  night  attack.  It  was  also  affirmed  that 
they  had  crossed  the  river,  and  were  marching  towards  Point  Isabel. 
General  Taylor  immediately  took  active  measures  to  provide  for  the 
worst.  The  watchword  was  given,  and  the  troops  ordered  to  sleep 
upon  their  arms.  In  addition  to  this,  Captain  May,  with  a  squadron 
of  the  2d  dragoons,  was  directed  to  ride  to  Point  Isabel,  a  distance 
of  twenty-seven  miles,  in  four  hours,  so  as  to  reinforce  the  garrison 
of  Major  Munroe.  Morning  dawned ;  no  gun  was  fired,  and  no 
attack  made  upon  the  point. 


196 


CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 


During  the  whole  of  this  and  the  following  day,  the  enemy  worked 
hard  to  complete  their  sand  bag  batteries.  Fort  Paredes,  the  princi 
pal  work,  was  erected  to  control  the  passage  of  the  river. 

An  alarming  symptom  now  showed  itself  in  the  American  camp. 
The  men  began  to  desert  in  considerable  numbers,  swimming  the 
ri  rer  to  Matamoras,  where  they  were  kindly  received.  Orders  were 
issued  to  shoot  all  who  made  the  attempt,  and  these  orders  were 
strictly  carried  into  execution.  On  the  4th  of  April,  a  deserter  was 
shot  dead  in  the  water,  and  on  the  5th  another.  Several  followed  the 
same  night.  One  man,  on  the  8th,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  oppo 
site  shore,  but  as  he  crawled  out  of  the  water,  the  sentinel  fired,  and 
he  fell  dead.  He  was  immediately  taken  upland  buried  by  the  Mexi 
cans.  This  shot,  although  from  a  musket,  was  at  a  distance  of  more 
than  two  hundred  yards.  Three  slaves,  belonging  to  officers,  also  ran 
away. 

ENERAL  AMPUDIA  sought  to  in 
crease  desertions  by  the  following 
address ;  he  was  at  that  time  ad 
vancing  to  take  command  of  Mat 
amoras.  It  appears  to  have  been 
distributed  through  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  American  camp. 
It  begins — "  The  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Mexican  army  to  the 
English  and  Irish  under  the  orders 
of  the  American  General  Taylor. 
"  Know  ye : — That  the  government 
of  the  United  States  is  committing  repeated  acts  of  barbarous  aggres 
sion  against  the  magnanimous  Mexican  nation ;  that  the  government 
which  exists  under  the  flag  of  the  stars  is  unworthy  the  designation  of 
Christian.  Recollect  that  you  were  born  in  Great  Britain ;  that  the 
American  government  looks  with  coldness  upon  the  powerful  flag  of 
St.  George,  and  is  provoking  to  a  rupture  the  warlike  people  to  which 
it  belongs ;  President  Polk  boldly  manifesting  a  desire  to  take  posses 
sion  of  Oregon,  as  he  has  already  done  of  Texas.  Now  then  come 
with  all  confidence  to  the  Mexican  ranks,  and  I  guarantee  to  you, 
upon  my  honour,  good  treatment,  and  that  all  your  expenses  shall  be 
defrayed  until  your  arrival  in  the  beautiful  capital  of  Mexico. 

"  Germans,  French,  Poles,  and  individuals  of  other  nations !  Sepa 
rate  yourselves  from  the  Yankees,  and  do  not  contribute  to  defend  a 
robbery  and  usurpation,  which,  be  assured,  the  civilized  nations  of 
Europe  look  upon  with  the  utmost  indignation.  Come,  therefore,  and 
array  yourselves  under  the  tri-coloured  flag,  in  the  confidence  that 


DEATH  OF  COLONEL  CROSS. 


199 


the  God  of  armies  protects  it,  and  that  it  will  protect  you  equally 
with  the  English."     This  produced  little  effect. 

HE  10th  of  April  was  signalized  by 
1  the  disappearance  and  subsequent 
death  of  Colonel  Truemen  Cross, 
"  the  first  victim  of  the  Mexican 
war."  He  was  assistant  quarter 
master-general  of  the  army  of  oc 
cupation,  and  highly  popular  with 
both  officers  and  men.  His  custom 
was  to  ride  out  every  morning  for 
exercise  and  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  but  his  long  absence  on  the 
10th  gave  rise  to  painful  suspicions', 
since  the  country  was  known  to 
swarm  with  outlaws  of  the  blackest  character,  who,  for  the  sake  of 
plunder,  spared  neither  rank,  age,  or  sex.  As  evening  approached, 
parties  were  sent  in  search  of  him,  cannon  were  fired  to  direct 
him,  if  lost,  and  other  means  taken  to  ascertain  his  fate.  Letters 
were  also  addressed  to  the  commandant  of  Matamoras,  who,  how 
ever,  disclaimed  all  knowledge  of  the  colonel's  disappearance. 
Anxiety  changed  to  fear,  and  fear  to  a  settled  belief  of  the  worst.  No 
intelligence  was  obtained  until  the  21st,  when  a  straggler  entered 
camp  and  reported  that  he  knew  where  lay  the  body  of  an  American 
officer.  A  party  accompanied  him  to  a  small  thicket,  some  dis 
tance  from  camp,  where  lay  the  mutilated  remains  of  the  ill-fated 
Cross. 

The  spot  was  at  a  short  distance  from  the  river.  The  body  had 
been  stripped,  and  the  flesh  afterwards  torn  off  by  vultures.  It  was 
recognized  by  portions  of  the  clothes,  the  scalp,  and  teeth.  The  re 
mains  were  brought  to  camp,  and  on  the  25th  General  Taylor  issued 
«m  order,  passing  a  high  eulogium  on  the  deceased,  and  directing  his 
funeral  to  take  place  on  the  following  day,  writh  military  honours. 
The  funeral  escort  consisted  of  a  squadron  of  dragoons  and  eight 
companies  of  infantry,  under  Colonel  Twiggs.  The  remains  were 
buried  near  the  river  bank,  in  sight  of  both  armies. 

This  event  threw  a  gloom  over  the  Americans,  and  excited  strong 
feelings  of  vengeance  against  the  Mexicans.  But  there  is  no  reason 
to  believe  that  the  authorities  in  Matamoras  had  any  knowledge  of 
his  murder.  The  account  given  by  the  straggler  who  brought  the  in 
formation  of  his  remains,  is  probably  the  true  one  :  that  he  had  been 
attacked  by  the  banditti  band  of  Romano  Falcon,  and  stripped  of 
every  thing  except  necessary  clothing.  The  men  were  willing  to 

R2 


200  CAMPAIGN   ON    THE    RIO    GRANDE. 

spare  his  life,  and  carry  him  to  Matamoras ;  but,  during  the  dispute 
on  the  propriety  of  this  step,  Falcon  killed  the  prisoner  by  a  blow 
from  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  and  afterwards  drew  the  body  into  the 
bushes. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  General  Ampudia  made  his  long  expected 
entrance  into  Matamoras.  The  joyful  inhabitants  hailed  his  arrival 
by  parading  the  troops,  playing  national  music,  ringing  the  church 
bells,  and  firing  a  salute  of  twenty  guns.  The  event  was,  to  the 
Americans,  highly  satisfactory,  for  it  was  generally  believed  that  mat 
ters  would  take  a  definite  complexion,  either  of  peace  or  war.  They 
were  not  disappointed.  On  the  12th,  the  new  commander  wrote  to 
General  Taylor  as  follows  : 

"  To  explain  to  you  the  many  grounds  for  the  just  grievances  felt 
by  the  Mexican  nation,  caused  by  the  United  States  government, 
would  be  a  loss  of  time,  and  an  insult  to  your  good  sense ;  I,  there 
fore,  pass  at  once  to  such  explanations  as  I  consider  of  absolute 
necessity. 

"  Your  government,  in  an  incredible  manner — you  will  even  per 
mit  me  to  say  an  extravagant  one,  if  the  usage  or  general  rules 
established  and  received  among  all  civilized  nations  are  regarded — 
has  not  only  insulted,  but  has  exasperated  the  Mexican  nation,  bear 
ing  its  conquering  banner  to  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte ;  and  in  this 
case,  by  explicit  and  definite  orders  of  my  government,  which  neither 
can,  will,  nor  should  receive  new  outrage,  I  require  you,  in  aliform, 
and  at  latest  in  the  peremptory  term  of  twenty-four  hours,  to  break  up 
your  camp  and  retire  to  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  while  our  govern 
ments  are  regulating  the  pending  question  in  relation  to  Texas. 

"  If  you  insist  in  remaining  upon  the  soil  of  the  department  of 
Tamaulipas,  it  will  clearly  result  that  arms,  and  arms  alone,  must  de 
cide  the  question;  and  in  that  case,  I  advise  you  that  we  accept  the  war 
to  which,  with  so  much  injustice  on  your  part,  you  provoke  us,  and 
that,  on  our  part,  this  war  shall  be  conducted  conformably  to  the 
principles  established  by  the  most  civilized  nations :  that  is  to  say, 
that  the  law  of  nations  and  of  war  shall  be  the  guide  of  my  opera 
tions  ;  trusting,  that,  on  your  part,  the  same  will  be  observed.  With 
this  view,  I  tender  the  consideration  due  to  your  person  and  respect 
able  office." 

General  Taylor  replied  in  the  following  language  : 

f  I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  note  of  this  date,  in  which 
you  summon  me  to  withdraw  the  forces  under  my  command  from 
their  present  position,  and  beyond  the  river  Nueces,  until  the  pend 
ing  question  between  our  governments,  relative  to  the  limits  of  Texas, 
shall  be  settled.  I  need  hardly  advise'  you,  that,  charged  as  I  am, 


TAYLOR'S  REPLY  TO  AMPUDIA.  201 

in  only  a  military  capacity,  with  the  performance  of  specific  duties,  I 
cannot  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  international  question  involved 
in  the  advance  of  the  American  army.  You  will,  however,  permit 
me  to  say  that  the  government  of  the  United  States  has  constantly 
sought  a  settlement,  hy  negotiation,  of  the  question  of  boundary ; 
that  an  envoy  was  despatched  to  Mexico  for  that  purpose,  and  that, 
up  to  the  most  recent  dates,  said  envoy  had  not  been  received  by  the 
actual  Mexican  government,  if  indeed  he  has  not  received  his  pass 
ports  and  left  the  republic.  In  the  mean  time,  I  have  been  ordered 
to  occupy  the  country  up  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  until 
the  boundary  shall  be  definitely  settled.  In  carrying  out  these  in 
structions,  I  have  carefully  abstained  from  all  acts  of  hostility,  obey 
ing  in  this  regard,  not  only  the  letter  of  my  instructions,  but  the  plain 
dictates  of  justice  and  humanity. 

"  The  instructions  under  which  I  am  acting  will  not  permit  me  to 
retrograde  from  the  position  I  now  occupy.  In  view  of  the  relations 
between  our  respective  governments,  and  the  individual  suffering 
which  may  result,  I  regret  the  alternative  which  you  offer ;  but,  at 
the  same  time,  wish  it  understood  that  I  shall  by  no  means  avoid  such 
alternative,  leaving  the  responsibility  with  those  who  rashly  com 
mence  hostilities. 

"  In  conclusion,  you  will  permit  me  to  give  you  the  assurance,  that, 
on  my  part,  the  laws  and  customs  of  war  among  civilized  nations 
shall  be  carefully  observed." 

HE  American  commander  was  careful  to  pre 
pare  for  the  expected  attack.  On  the  recep 
tion  of  Ampudia's  letter,  the  1st  brigade  was 
moved  to  the  right,  and  early  on  the  follow 
ing  morning,  (13th,)  the  2d  to  the  left,  both 
out  of  range  of  the  enemy's  shot.  At  the 
same  time  Colonel  Twiggs,  with  the  dragoons 
and  Ringgold's  battery,  occupied  the  centre, 
while  the  3d  brigade  was  moved  into  the 
interior  of  the  field  work,  together  with 
Bragg's  and  Duncan's  batteries.  In  this 
position  the  3d  brigade  was  defiladed  from 
the  fires  of  the  enemy,  and  the  remainder  formed  a  line  so  strong 
that  the  camp  was  considered  impregnable.  Simultaneously  with  these 
movements,  and  immediately  afterwards,  rumours  reached  camp  that 
the  enemy  had  crossed  the  river  in  large  numbers  below ;  in  conse 
quence  of  which  the  4th  infantry,  1st  company  of  dragoons,  and 
Ringgold's  battery,  were  ordered  to  march  immediately,  and  meet 
the  train  coming  from  Point  Isabel.  Captain  Thornton  was  also 

26 


202  CAMPAIGN    ON    THE   RIO   GRANDE. 

despatched  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  rumours.  He  returned  with 
out  having  seen  the  enemy,  and  about  the  same  time  the  train  reached 
the  camp  in  safety. 

On  the  17th,  the  Americans  lost  another  valuable  officer,  by  an 
outrage  similar  to  that  which  had  occasioned  the  death  of  Cross.  It 
will  be  remembered,  that  up  to  this  time  no  intelligence  of  the  colo 
nel's  fate  had  reached  camp ;  but,  from  time  to  time,  small  parties 
were  sent  in  quest  of  him.  One  of  these  was  led  by  Lieutenant 
Dobbins  of  the  3d  infantry,  and  Lieutenant  Porter  of  the  4th,  each 
having  ten  men  and  a  non-commissioned  officer.  Besides  their  main 
object,  they  avowed  the  intention  of  capturing,  if  possible,  the  band 
of  Romano  Falcon.  On  the  18th,  Lieutenant  Porter's  sergeant  re 
turned  with  a  report  that  his  superior  had  been  killed ;  and  on  the 
day  following,  the  sad  story  was  confirmed.  It  appears  that  Lieu 
tenant  Dobbins  had  separated  from  Lieutenant  Porter,  with  an  under 
standing  to  meet  him  at  a  certain  spot.  About  2  P.  M.,  on  the  19th, 
the  latter  officer  came  up  with  a  party  of  armed  Mexicans  engaged 
in  jerking  beef.  While  approaching  their  camp,  a  Mexican  snapped 
his  piece  at  Lieutenant  Porter,  who  returned  it  with  both  barrels  of 
his  gun.  The  enemy  immediately  fled,  and  the  lieutenant  found 
himself  in  the  possession  of  ten  horses  and  twenty  Mexican  blankets. 
He  immediately  mounted  his  men,  and  proceeded  towards  the  camp. 
By  this  time  it  had  commenced  raining  violently.  After  proceeding 
a  short  distance,  the  party  were  attacked  near  a  dense  chaparral,  by 
a  number  of  Mexicans  concealed  among  the  thick  bushes.  One 
man  was  shot  down,  and  the  fire  became  so  brisk,  that  the  lieutenant 
ordered  his  men  to  dismount.  His  men's  pieces  had  been  rendered 
nearly  useless  by  the  rain  ;  and  in  firing  his  own,  both  barrels  snapped. 
While  calling  to  a  soldier  to  hand  him  a  musket,  he  was  shot  in  the 
left  thigh,  and  fell.  He  exhorted  his  followers  to  fight  on;  but,  being 
without  available  arms,  they  separated,  and  strayed  towards  the  Ameri 
can  camp.  "  During  the  fight,  the  enemy  yelled  like  Indians.  As  soon 
as  our  men  broke,  they  rushed  upon  the  lieutenant  and  Flood.  The 
latter  they  surrounded,  and  deliberately  stabbed  with  their  knives, 
and  then  despatched  Lieutenant  Porter  in  the  same  manner.  Lieu 
tenant  Porter  was  the  son  of  the  late  Commodore  Porter,  and 
entered  the  army  in  1838.  He  was  a  gallant  officer,  and  much 
esteemed  in  his  regiment.  His  fate  is  truly  deplorable.  Two  com 
mands  were  sent  out  to  seek  for  his  body ;  but  they  found  neither  it, 
nor  the  spot  where  the  fight  took  place.  All  parts  of  the  country  are 
so  precisely  similar,  and  destitute  of  landmarks,  that  it  is  almost  an 
impossibility  to  return  to  any  one  spot." 


AMPUDIA'S  LETTER  TO  GENERAL  TAYLOR.  203 


N  the  22d,  a  correspondence 
took  place  between  the  two 
commanders,  which  is  not  only 
highly  characteristic  of  each, 
but  shows  in  what  light  each 
regarded  the  cause  he  was.  en 
gaged  in,  and  his  own  ability* 
to  support  it.  The  subject  is 
fully  explained  in  the  following 
despatch  of  Ampudia : 

"  From  various  sources  wor 
thy  of  confidence,  I  have  learned 
that  some  vessels  bound  for  the 
mouth  of  the  river  have  not 
been  able  to  effect  an  entrance 

into  that  port,  in  consequence  of  your  orders  that  they  should  be  con 
ducted  to  Brazos  Santiago. 

<*  . 

*  The  cargo  of  one  of  them  is  composed  in  great  part,  and  of  the 

other  entirely,  of  provisions  which  the  contractors  charged  with  pro 
viding  for  the  army  under  my  orders  had  procured  to  fulfil  the  obli 
gations  of  their  contracts. 

"You  have  taken  possession  of  these  provisions  by  force,  and 
against  the  will  of  the  proprietors,  one  of  whom  is  vice-consul  of  her 
Catholic  majesty,  and  the  other  of  her  Britannic  majesty;  and  whose 
rights,  in  place  of  being  religiously  respected,  as  was  proffered,  and 
as  was  to  be  hoped  from  the  observance  of  the  principles  which 
govern  among  civilized  nations,  have,  on  the  contrary,  been  violated 
in  the  most  extraordinary  manner,  opposed  to  the  guarantee  and 
respect  due  to  private  property. 

"  Nothing  can  have  authorized  you  in  such  a  course.  The  com 
merce  of  nations  is  not  suspended  or  interrupted,  except  in  conse 
quence  of  a  solemn  declaration  of  blockade,  communicated  and  esta 
blished  in  the  form  prescribed  by  international  law.  Nevertheless, 
you  have  infringed  these  rules,  and,  by  an  act  which  can  never  be 
viewed  favourably  to  the  United  States  government,  have  hindered  the 
entrance  to  a  Mexican ,  port  of  vessels  bound  to  it,  under  the  confi 
dence  that  commerce  would  not  be  interrupted.  My  duties  do  not 
allow  me  to  consent  to  this  new  species  of  hostility,  and  they 
constrain  me  to  require  of  you,  not  only  that  the  vessels  taken  by 
force  to  Brazos  Santiago,  shall  be  at  liberty  to  return  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  but  the  restoration  of  all  the  provisions  which, 
besides  belonging  to  private  contractors,  were  destined  for  the 
troops  on  this  frontier.  I  consider  it  useless  to  inculcate  the  justice 


204  CAMPAIGN   ON   THE   RIO   GRANDE. 

of  this  demand,  and  the  results  which  may  follow  an  unlooked-for 
refusal.  ,•  f 

"  I  have  also  understood  that  two  Mexicans,  carried  down  in  a 
boat  by  the  current  of  the  river,  near  one  of  the  advanced  posts  of 
your  camp,  were  detained,  after  being  fired  upon,  and  that  they  are 
still  kept  and  treated  as  prisoners.  The  individuals  in  question  do 
not  belong  to  the  army,  and  this  circumstance  exempts  them  from  the 
laws  of  war.  I  therefore  hope,  that  you  will  place  them  absolutely 
at  liberty,  as  I  cannot  be  persuaded  that  you  pretend  to  extend  to 
persons  not  military  the  consequences  of  an  invasion,  which,  with 
out  employing  this  means  of  rigour  against  unarmed  citizens,  is 
marked  in  itself  with  the  seal  of  universal  reprobation." 

General  Taylor  answered  as  follows : 

"  I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  communication  of  this 
date,  in  which  you  complain  of  certain  measures  adopted  by  my 
orders  to  close  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo  against  vessels  bound  to 
Matamoras,  and  in  which  you  also  advert  to  the  case  of  two  Mexi 
cans  supposed  to  be  detained  as  prisoners  in  thi*  camp. 

"  After  all  that  has  passed  since  the  American  army  first  approached 
the  Rio  Bravo,  I  am  certainly  surprised  that  you  should  complain  of 
a  measure  which  is  no  other  than  a  natural  result  of  a  state  of  war 
so  much  insisted  upon  by  the  Mexican  authorities  as  actually  exist 
ing  at  this  time.  You  will  excuse  me  for  recalling  a  few  circum 
stances  to  show  that  this  state  of  war  has  not  been  sought  by  the 
American  army,  but  has  been  forced  upon  it,  and  that  the  exercise 
of  the  rights  incident  to  such  a  state  cannot  be  made  a  subject  of 
complaint. 

"  On  breaking  up  my  camp  at  Corpus  Christi,  and  moving  forward 
with  the  army  under  my  orders,  to  occupy  the  left  bank  of  the  Rio 
Bravo,  it  was  my  earnest  desire  to  execute  my  instructions  in  a  pacific 
manner ;  to  observe  the  utmost  regard  for  the  personal  rights  of  all 
citizens  residing  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  to  take  care  that 
the  religion  and  customs  of  the  people  should  suffer  no  violation. 
With  this  view,  and  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants,  I  issued 
orders  to  the  army,  enjoining  a  strict  observance  of  the  rights  and  in 
terests  of  all  Mexicans  residing  on  the  river,  and  caused  said  orders 
to  be  translated  into  Spanish,  and  circulated  in  the  several  towns  on 
the  Bravo.  These  orders  announced  the  spirit  in  which  we  pro 
posed  to  occupy  the  country,  and  I  am  proud  to  say,  that  up  to  this 
moment  the  same  spirit  has  controlled  the  operations  of  the  army. 
On  reaching  the  Arroyo  Colorado,  I  was  informed  by  a  Mexican 
officer,  that  the  order  in  question  had  been  received  in  Matamoras ; 
but  was  told  at  the  same  time  that  if  I  attempted  to  cross  the  river, 


TAYLORS   REPLY   TO   AMPUDIA.  205 

it  would  be  regarded  as  a  declaration  of  war.  Again,  on  my  march 
to  Froiitone,  I  was  met  by  a  deputation  of  the  civil  authorities  of 
Matamoras,  protesting  against  my  occupation  of  a  portion  of  the 
department  of  Tamaulipas,  and  declaring  that,  if  the  army  was  not  at 
once  withdrawn,  war  would  result.  While  this  communication  was 
in  my  hands,  it  was  discovered  that  the  village  of  Frontone  had  been 
set  on  fire  and  abandoned.  I  viewed  this  as  a  direct  act  of  war,  and 
informed  the  deputation  that  their  communication  would  be  answered 
by  me  when  opposite  Matamoras,  which  was  done  in  respectful 
terms.  On  reaching  the  river,  I  despatched  an  officer,  high  in  rank, 
to  convey  to  the  commanding  general  in  Matamoras  the  expression 
of  my  desire  for  amicable  relations,  and  my  willingness  to  leave  open 
to  the  use  of  the  citizens  of  Matamoras  the  port  of  Brazos  Santiago, 
until  the  question  of  boundary  should  be  definitely  settled.  This 
officer  received  for  reply,  from  the  officer  selected  to  confer  with 
him,  that  my  advance  to  the  Rio  Bravo  was  considered  as  a  veri 
table  act  of  war,  and  he  was  absolutely  refused  an  interview  with 
the  American  consul,  in  itself  an  act  incompatible  with  a  state  of 
peace. 

"Notwithstanding  these  repeated  assurances  on  the  part  of  the 
Mexican  authorities,  and  notwithstanding  the  most  obviously  hostile 
preparations  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  accompanied  by  a  rigid 
non-intercourse,  I  carefully  abstained  from  any  act  of  hostility,  de 
termined  that  the  onus  of  producing  an  actual  state  of  hostilities 
should  not  rest  with  me.  Our  relations  remained  in  this  state  until 
I  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  note  of  the  12th  instant,  in  which 
you  denounce  war  as  an  alternative  of  my  remaining  in  this  position. 
As  I  could  not,  under  my  instructions,  recede  from  my  position,  I 
accepted  the  alternative  you  offered  me,  and  made  all  my  disposi 
tions  to  meet  it  suitably.  But,  still  willing  to  adopt  milder  measures 
before  proceeding  to  others,  I  contented  myself  in  the  first  instance 
"vith  ordering  a  blockade  of  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo  by  the  naval 
forces  under  my  orders — a  proceeding  perfectly  consonant  with  the 
state  of  war  so  often  declared  to  exist,  and  which  you  acknowledge 
in  your  note  of  the  16th  instant,  relative  to  the  late  Colonel  Cross. 
If  this  measure  seems  oppressive,  I  wish  it  borne  in  mind  that  it  has 
been  forced  upon  me  by  the  course  you  have  seen  fit  to  adopt.  I 
have  reported  this  blockade  to  my  government,  and  shall  not  remove 
it  until  I  receive  instructions  to  that  effect,  unless  indeed  you  desire  an 
armistice  pending  the  final  settlement  of  the  question  between  the  go 
vernments,  or  until  war  shall  be  formally  declared  by  either,  in  which 
case  I  shall  cheerfully  open  the  river.  In  regard  to  the  consequences 


206  CAMPAIGN   ON   THE    RIO   GRANDE. 

you  mention  as  resulting  from  a  refusal  to  remove  the  blockade, 
I  beg  you  to  understand  that  I  am  prepared  for  them,  be  they  what 
they  may. 

a  In  regard  to  the  particular  vessels  referred  to  in  your  communi 
cation,  I  have  the  honour  to  advise  you  that,  in  pursuance  of  my 
orders,  two  American  schooners,  bound  for  Matamoras,  were  warned 
off  on  the  17th  instant,  when  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  put  to 
sea,  returning  probably  to  New  Orleans.  They  were  not  seized,  or 
their  cargoes  disturbed  in  any  way,  nor  have  they  been  in  the  har 
bour  of  Brazos  Santiago  to  my  knowledge.  A  Mexican  schooner, 
understood  to  be  the  i  Juanita,'  was  in  or  off  that  harbour  when  my 
instructions  to  blockade  the  river  were  issued,  but  was  driven  to  sea 
in  a  gale,  since  wrhich  time  I  have  had  no  report  concerning  her. 
Since  the  receipt  of  your  communication,  I  have  learned  that  two 
persons,  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  procure  information  respect 
ing  this  vessel,  proceeded  thence  to  Brazos  Santiago,  where  they 
were  taken  up  and  detained  by  the  officer  in  command,  until  my 
orders  could  be  received.  I  shall  order  their  immediate  release. 
A  letter  from  one  of  them  to  the  Spanish  vice-consul  is  respectfully 
transmitted  herewith. 

"  In  relation  to  the  Mexicans  said  to  have  drifted  down  the  river 
in  a  boat,  and  to  be  prisoners  at  this  time  in  my  camp,  I  have  the 
pleasure  to  inform  you  that  no  such  persons  have  been  taken  pri 
soners,  or  are  now  detained  by  my  authority.  The  boat  in  question  was 
carried  down  empty  by  the  current  of  the  river,  and  drifted  ashore 
near  one  of  our  pickets,  and  was  secured  by  the  guard.  Some  time 
afterwards  an  attempt  was  made  to  recover  the  boat  under  the  cover 
of  the  darkness ;  the  individuals  concerned  were  hailed  by  the  guard, 
and,  failing  to  answer,  were  fired  upon  as  a  matter  of  course.  What 
became  of  them  is  not  known,  as  no  trace  of  them  could  be  discovered 
on  the  following  morning.  The  officer  of  the  Mexican  guard,  di 
rectly  opposite,  was  informed  next  day  that  the  boat  would  be  re 
turned  on  proper  application  to  me,  and  I  have  now  only  to  repeat 
that  assurance. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  take  leave  to  state  that  I  consider  the  tone  of 
your  communication  highly  exceptionable,  where  you  stigmatize  the 
movement  of  the  army  under  my  orders  as  '  marked  with  the  seal 
of  universal  reprobation.'  You  must  be  aware  that  such  language  is 
not  respectful  in  itself,  either  to  me  or  my  government ;  and  while  I 
observe  in  my  own  correspondence  the  courtesy  due  to  your  high 
position,  and  to  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  with  which  we  are 
respectively  charged,  I  shall  expect  the  same  in  return." 


SURPRISE   OF    THORN  TONS   COMMAND. 


207 


ENERAL  ARISTA  arrived  in  Mata- 
moras  on  the  25th,  and  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  military  force  there.  He 
communicated  this  fact  to  General 
Taylor  in  a  note  courteously  worded, 
but  acknowledging  a  state  of  war  be 
tween  the  two  countries,  and  a  deter 
mination  to  prosecute  it  with  vigour. 
During  the  same  afternoon,  an  event 
occurred  which  displays  the  determi 
nation  of  the  Mexicans  to  use  every 
effort  to  retain  what  they  considered 
their  just  possessions.  Report  reached  the  American  camp  that  the 
enemy  were  crossing  the  river,  both  above  and  below;  and  to  ascer 
tain  the  truth  of  it,  General  Taylor  despatched  a  dragoon  party  under 
Captain  Ker,  to  the  lower  ford,  and  another  to  the  upper,  under 
Captain  Thornton,  accompanied  by  Captain  Hardee,  Lieutenants 
Kane  and  Mason,  and  sixty-one  non-commissioned  officers  and  pri 
vates.  Captain  Ker,  on  arriving  at  his  destination,  found  no  appear 
ance  of  an  enemy,  and  returned.  Thornton's  command  proceeded 
up  the  Rio  Grande  about  twenty-four  miles,  and  as  was  supposed,  to 
within  about  three  miles  of  the  Mexican  camp,  when  the  guide 
refused  to  go  further,  stating  for  his  reason  that  the  whole  country 
was  infested  with  Mexicans.  The  party,  however,  proceeded  on 
about  two  miles,  when  they  reached  a  farmhouse,  entirely  inclosed 
by  a  chaparral  fence,  with  the  exception  of  the  portion  bordering  on 
the  river.  This  was  so  boggy  as  to  be  impassable.  Thornton  en 
tered  the  inclosure  through  a  pair  of  bars,  and  rode  towards  the  house, 
in  order  to  gain  some  information  from  its  inmates.  His  command 
followed.  Suddenly  a  sharp  firing  was  heard  from  the  surrounding 
chaparral,  and  the  Americans  now  perceived  that  they  had  been 
entrapped.  Thickets  seemed  alive  with  armed  soldiery,  who  are 
stated  to  have  numbered  twenty-five  hundred.  The  captain  did  not 
lose  his  presence  of  mind,  but  wheeling  his  command,  attempted  to 
charge  through  the  assailants,  and  pass  out"  by  the  way  he  had  entered ; 
but  this  was  found  to  be  impracticable.  At  this  juncture,  Captain 
Hardee  approached  for  the  purpose  of  suggesting  some  plan  of 
escape,  when  Thornton's  horse,  having  received  a  shot,  ran  with 
him  towards  the  chaparral  fence,  which  he  cleared  with  one  leap, 
and  then  plunged  towards  a  precipice.  Here  he  fell,  and  the  cap 
tain  being  underneath,  remained  insensible .  for  five  or  six  hours. 
He  afterwards  arose,  and  although  both  himself  and  the  animal 
were  much  hurt,  he  succeeded  in  approaching  within  a  few  miles  of 


208 


CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 


Captain  Thornton's  Skirmish  with  the  Mexicans. 

the  camp.  Here  he  was  met  by  a  party  of  Mexicans,  and  carried 
,nto  Matamoras. 

Meanwhile,  Captain  Hardee  had  assumed  command  of  the  party, 
and  attempted  to  reach  the  river  bank,  and  thence  escape  by  swim 
ming.  But  the  marshy  nature  of  the  ground  prevented  this.  He 
then  determined  to  make  all  the  resistance  in  his  power,  and,  dis 
mounting,  he  examined  his  men's  weapons,  and  exhorted  them  to  sell 
their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  While  thus  engaged,  he  was  ap 
proached  by  a  Mexican  officer,  who  demanded  a  surrender.  He 
answered  that  he  would  do  so  only  on  one  condition — that  of  being 
treated  as  civilized  nations  treat  prisoners  of  war.  The  officer  bore 
this  message  to  the  commanding  general,  and  returned  with  the 
assurance  that  the  request  should  be  granted.  The  surrender  took 
place  accordingly,  and  the  prisoners  were  carried  into  Matamoras. 
Arista  received  them  with  respect,  put  them  on  half  pay,  and  gave 
each  a  daily  ration,  or  its  equivalent  in  money.  Captain  Hardee, 
Lieutenant  Kane,  and  the  other  officers  lived  with  General  Ampudia, 
and  ate  at  his  table. 

In  this  affair,  Lieutenant  Mason,  two  sergeants,  and  eight  privates 
were  killed.  The  enemy  were  led  by  General  Torrejon,  and  their 
success  was  mainly  owing  to  the  complete  concealment  afforded  them 
by  the  thick  chaparral,  which  rendered  it  impossible  for  an  advanc 
ing  force  to  perceive  any  ambuscade,  however  large.  Notwithstand- 


MEXICANS  CROSS   THE    RIO   GRANDE.  211 

ing  the  great  disparity  of  force,  the  Mexican  general  claimed  it  as  a 
complete  victory,  and  confidently  looked  forward  to  the  final  triumph 
of  the  Mexican  arms. 

Only  a  few  days  previous  to  Thornton's  adventure,  General  Arista 
circulated  a  document  among  the  foreigners  of  the  American  army, 
similar  to  that  of  Ampudia,  but  more  artfully  worded.  Part  of  it 
reads  as  follows : 

"  It  is  to  no  purpose  if  they  tell  you  that  the  law  for  the  annexation 
of  Texas  justifies  your  occupation  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte ;  for  by 
this  act  they  rob  us  of  a  great  part  of  Tamaulipas,  Coahuila,  Chihua 
hua,  and  New  Mexico ;  and  it  is  barbarous  to  send  a  handful  of  men 
on  such  an  errand,  against  a  powerful  and  warlike  nation.  Besides, 
the  most  of  you  are  Europeans,  and  we  are  the  declared  friends  of 
a  majority  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  The  North  Americans  are  am 
bitious,  overbearing,  and  insolent  as  a  nation,  and  they  will  only 
make  use  of  you  as  vile  tools  to  carry  out  their  abominable  plans  of 
pillage  and  rapine. 

.  "I 'warn  you  in  the  name  of  justice,  honour,  and  your  own  inte 
rests  and  self-respect,  to  abandon  their  desperate  and  unholy  cause, 
and  become  peaceful  Mexican  citizens.  I  guarantee  you  in  such 
case  a  half  section  of  land,  or  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  set 
tle  upon,  gratis.  Be  wise,  then,  and  just  and  honourable,  and  take 
no  part  in  murdering  us  who  have  no  unkind  feelings  for  you.  Lands 
shall  be  given  to  officers,  sergeants,  and  corporals,  according  to  rank, 
privates  receiving  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  as  stated." 

The  enemy  now  crossed  the  river  in  large  detachments,  and  spread 
themselves  between  the  river  fort  and  Point  Isabel.  The  latter  was 
in  daily  expectation  of  an  attack.  All  communication  with  General 
Taylor  was  cut  off,  and  the  Americans  prepared  to  meet  the  inevi 
table  shock  of  arms  with  a  cool  and  determined  firmness  worthy  of 
the  national  character.  Yet  Major  Munroe  did  not  lose  time  in 
groundless  apprehensions.  As  soon  as  his  intercourse  with  General 
Taylor  ceased,  he  began  preparations  for  resisting  any  sudden  attack, 
strengthening  his  regular  force,  by  landing  the  officers  and  men  on 
board  the  ships  lying  near  the  harbour. 

The  commanding  general  was  in  a  similar  situation.  "  Strong 
guards  of  foot,"  he  writes,  "  and  mounted  men,  are  established  on 
the  margin  of  the  river,  and  thus  efficient  means  have  been  adopted 
on  our  part  to  prevent  all  intercourse.  While  opposite  to  us  their 
pickets  extend  above  and  below  for  several  miles,  and  we  are 
equally  active  in  keeping  up  a  strong  and  vigilant  guard,  to  prevent 
surprise,  or  attacks  under  disadvantageous  circumstances.  This  is 
the  more  necessary  whilst  we  have  to  act  on  the  defensive,  and  they 


212  CAMPAIGN   ON   THE    RIO   GRANDE. 

are  at  liberty  to  take  the  opposite  course  whenever  they  are  disposed 
to  do  so.  Nor  have  we  been  idle  in  other  respects ;  we  have  a  field- 
work  under  way,  besides  having  erected  a  strong  battery,  and  a  num 
ber  of  buildings  for  the  security  of  our  supplies,  in  addition  to  some 
respectable  works  for  their  protection.  We  have  mounted  a  respect 
able  battery,  two  pieces  of  which  are  long  eighteen-pounders,  with 
which  we  could  batter  or  burn  down  the  city  of  Matamoras,  should  it 
become  necessary  to  do  so.  When  our  field-work  is  completed, 
(which  will  soon  be  the  case,)  and  mounted  with  its  proper  arma 
ment,  five  hundred  .men  could  hold  it  against  as  many  thousand 
Mexicans.  During  the  twenty-seven  days  since  our  arrival  here,  a 
most  singular  state  of  things  has  prevailed  all  through  the  outlines  of 
the  two  armies,  which,  to  a  certain  extent,  have  all  the  feelings  as  if 
there  were  actual  war.  Fronting  each  other  for  an  extent  of  more 
than  two  miles,  and  within  musket  range,  are  batteries,  shotted,  and 
the  officers  and  men,  in  many  instances,  waiting  impatiently  for  orders 
to  apply  the  matches,  yet  nothing  has  been  done  to  provoke  the  firing 
of  a  gun,  or  any  act  of  violence. 

"  Matamoras,  at  the  distance  we  are  now  from  it,  appears  to  cover 
a  large  extent  of  ground,  with  some  handsome  buildings ;  but  I  would 
imagine  the  greater  portion  of  them  to  be  indifferent  one-storied 
houses,  with  roofs  of  straw,  and  walls  of  mud  or  unburnt  brick. 
During  peace,  the  population  is  said  to  be  five  or  six  thousand,  but 
it  is  now  filled  to  overflowing  with  troops.  Report  says,  from  five  to 
ten  thousand,  of  all  sorts,  regular  and  militia. 

"  Since  writing  the  above,  an  engagement  has  taken  place  between 
a  detachment  of  our  cavalry  and  the  Mexicans,  in  which  we  were 
worsted.  So  the  war  has  actually  commenced." 

While  both  stations  were  thus  in  momentary  expectation  of  an 
attack,  Captain  Samuel  Walker,  with  a  small  body  of  Texas  rangers, 
reached  Point  Isabel.  He  was  placed  some  distance  west  of  the 
works,  with  orders  to  attempt  the  opening  of  a  communication  with 
General  Taylor.  His  force  was  about  seventy-five  men,  and  with 
these  he  stationed  himself  in  the  open  country.  On  the  28th,  he  ad 
vanced  further  towards  the  river,  hoping  to  meet  with  an  opportunity 
of  effecting  the  desired  communication.  On  the  road  he  suddenly 
encountered  a  large  body  of  Mexicans,  whom  he  estimated  to  have 
numbered  fifteen  hundred.  Notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  force, 
the  captain  determined  to  meet  the  threatened  attack ;  and,  placing 
his  raw  troops  on  the  right,  he  ordered  the  whole  command  to  take 
refuge  in  a  neighbouring  chaparral.  Before  these  directions  could 
be  obeyed,  the  Mexicans  opened  their  fire.  This  so  frightened  his 
new  soldiers,  that  they  broke  and  fled  in  confusion,  and  with  the  re- 


CAPTAIN    WALKERS    EXPEDITION. 


Captain  Walker's  Expedition  on  the  29th  of  April. 

mainder  Walker  was  unable  to  make  a  stand.  During  the  retreat, 
most  of  his  troops  were  scattered,  and  he,  with  a  few  others,  was 
pursued  to  within  cannon  range  of  Point  Isabel.  The  victory  had 
not  been  altogether  bloodless  to  the  Mexicans,  since  the  captain  sup 
poses  that  at  least  thirty  fell  during  the  fifteen  minutes  that  the  en 
gagement  lasted. 

Although  this  affair  proved  the  great  danger  of  attempting  any  pass 
age  between  the  two  camps,  yet,  undismayed  by  his  somewhat  un 
favourable  experience,  and  perhaps  acting  on  his  superior  knowledge 
of  Mexican  character,  Walker  volunteered  to  reattempt  the  commu 
nication,  should  he  obtain  four  men  to  accompany  him.  The  offer 
was  considered,  by  nearly  all  the  garrison,  as  one  of  madness ;  but 
its  very  hopelessness  acted  as  a  charm  to  the  daring  spirits,  who,  by 
long  association,  knew  well  the  captain's  character.  Six  immediately 
volunteered,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  major's  sanction  for  the 
expedition.  Walker  arid  his  little  band  started  late  on  the  29th,  and 
after  passing  many  dangers,  arrived  safely  at  Taylor's  position. 

The  situation  of  the  American  army  was  now  very  critical.  The 
river  fort  was  open  to  an  attack  from  an  overwhelming  host,  who 
would  be  aided  by  the  simultaneous  efforts  of  all  the  batteries  in 
Matamoras.  It  seemed  almost  hopeless  that  a  handful  of  men  could 
bear  up  against  such  odds  ;  1  ut,  even  if  this  were  the  case,  the  enemy 


214  CAMPAIGN   ON   THE  RIO    GRANDE. 

might  still  attain  their  object  by  a  regular  siege,  there  being,  at  tha 
time,  but  eight  days'  rations  in  camp.  The  country  between  Fort 
Brown  and  Point  Isabel  had  been  seized  by  a  large  force,  and  the 
latter  was  in  hourly  expectation  of  an  attack.  The  Mexicans,  by 
their  rapid  movements,  and  the  continual  influx  of  their  troops  at 
Matamoras,  evinced  a  vigour  and  determination  of  resistance,  that,  to 
a  great  part  of  the  American  army,  was  totally  unexpected. 

Intelligence  of  this  crisis  reached  the  United  States  early  in  May. 
The  consequences  were  alarming.  Men  who  had  never  taken  any 
interest  in  public  affairs,  forgot  for  awhile  their  business,  to  gather 
information  from  the  army.  Anxiety  and  fear,  for  the  gallant  men, 
whose  fate  seemed  almost  inevitable,  increased  to  painful  intensity. 
Every  pulse  of  feeling  beat  in  sympathy  for  Taylor  and  his  comrades. 
Volunteers  and  citizens  assembled  in  every  city,  eager  to  rush  to  the 
rescue  of  their  countrymen.  It  was  the  season  which,  in  every  great 
war,  precedes  the  test  battle  between  the  two  nations  ;  the  movement 
on  which  hung  the  world's  future  estimation  of  our  military  charac 
ter  ;  the  point  which,  once  turned,  no  subsequent  action  of  the  war, 
not  even  such  a  battle  as  that  of  Buena  Vista,  the  taking  of  Vera 
Cruz,  nor  the  capture  of  Mexico  itself,  could  reproduce. 

ENERAL  TAYLOR  well  knew  that 
upon  his  conduct  in  this  emergency 
depended  in  a  great  measure  the  spirit 
of  the  coming  contest,  as  well  as  his 
own  military  credit.  Three  courses 
were  before  him,  either  to  remain  on 
the  river  and  brave  the  enemy,  while 
Major  Munroe  did  the  same,  or  to  at 
tempt  the  relief  of  Point  Isabel ;  or, 
lastly,  to  abandon  his  position,  and 
fall  back  into  Texas.  The  latter  was 
utterly  untenable,  and  the  former  would 
in  a  few  days  reduce  his  men  to  star 
vation.  There  was  then  no  honourable  alternative,  but  marching 
to  Point  Isabel  with  a  part  of  his  force,  and,  after  relieving  it,  to  re 
trace  his  route  to  the  river  fort.  The  attempt  would  leave  his  little 
garrison  on  the  river  surrounded  by  overwhelming  numbers,  and 
could  be  made  only  with  a  superior  enemy  before  and  behind.  It 
was  a  daring  one — but  the  time  for  cautious  alternatives  had  passed 
away. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  at  4  o'clock  P.  M.,  General  Taylor,  with  the 
main  part  of  the  army  of  occupation,  left  the  river  fort,  in  route  for 
Point  Isabel,  He  marched  through  the  chaparral  without  meeting 


MEXICAN    ACCOUNT   OF    TAYLOR'S   RETREAT.    215 

the  enemy,  and  entering  the  broad  rolling  prairie,  continued  moving 
until  midnight.  Although  the  men  were  greatly  fatigued,  they  were 
obliged  to  sleep  under  arms,  without  tents  or  fires.  The  march  was 
resumed  on  the  2d,  and  the  army,  after  suffering  greatly  from  heat 
and  want  of  water,  reached  Point  Isabel  at  noon. 

This  march  afforded  opportunity  for  the  long  pending  war  storm 
to  burst.  The  enemy  fondly  imagined  that  it  had  been  occasioned 
by  the  fear  of  the  American  general,  and  the  joy  of  both  soldiery  and 
citizens  was  extravagant  and  indecent.  Opinions  similar  to  the  fol 
lowing,  [from  El  Monitor  Republicano,  May  4th,]  filled  the  papers  of 
Matamoras : 

"  General  Taylor  dared  not  resist  the  valour  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
sons  of  Mexico.  Well  did  he  foresee  the  intrepidity  with  which  our 
soldiers  would  rush  against  the  usurpers  of  the  national  territory. 
Well  did  he  know  the  many  injuries  which  were  to  be  avenged  by 
those  who  had  taken  up  arms,  not  to  aggrandize  themselves  with 
the  spoils  of  the  property  of  others,  but  to  maintain  the  independence 
of  their  country.  Well  did  he  know,  we  repeat  it,  that  the  Mexicans 
would  be  stopped  neither  by  trenches,  nor  fortresses,  nor  large  artil 
lery.  Thus  it  was  that  the  chief  of  the  American  forces,  frightened 
as  soon  as  he  perceived,  from  the  situation  and  proximity  of  his 
camp,  that  our  army  was  preparing  to  cross  the  river,  left  with  pre 
cipitation  for  Point  Isabel,  with  almost  all  his  troops,  eight  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  a  few  wagons.  Their  march  was  observed  from  our 
position,  and  the  most  excellent  General  D.  Francisco  Mejia  imme 
diately  sent  an  express  extraordinary  to  communicate  the  news  to  the 
most  excellent  general-in- chief.  Here  let  me  pay  to  our  brave  men 
the  tribute  which  they  deserve.  The  express  verbally  informed  some 
troops  which  had  not  yet  arrived  at  the  ford,  of  the  escape  of  the 
Americans ;  in  one  instant  all  the  soldiers  spontaneously  crossed  the 
river,  almost  racing  one  with  another. 

"  Such  was  the  ardour  with  which  they  crossed  the  river  to  attack 
the  enemy.  The  terror  and  haste  with  which  the  latter  fled  to  the 
fort,  to  shut  themselves  up  in  it  and  avoid  a  conflict,  frustrated  the 
active  measures  of  the  most  excellent  Senor  General  Arista,  which 
were  to  order  the  cavalry  to  advance  in  the  plain,  and  to  cut  off  the 
flight  of  the  fugitives.  But  it  was  not  possible  to  do  so,  notwith 
standing  their  forced  march  during  the  night.  General  Taylor  left 
his  camp  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and,  as  fear  has  wings,  he 
succeeded  in  shutting  himself  up  in  the  fort.  When  our  cavalry 
reached  the  point  where  they  were  to  detain  him,  he  had  already 
'passed  and  was  several  leagues  ahead.  Great  was  the  sorrow  of  our 
brave  men,  not  to  have  been  able  to  meet  the  enemy  face  to  face. 


&16  CAMPAIGN   ON   THE    RIO    GRANDE. 

Their  defeat  was  certain,  and  the  main  body  of  that  invading  army, 
who  thought  that  they  had  inspired  the  Mexicans  with  so  much  re 
spect,  would  have  disappeared  in  the  first  important  battle.  But 
there  was  some  fighting  to  be  done,  and  the  Americans  do  not  know 
how  to  use  other  arms  but  those  of  duplicity  and  treachery.  Why 
did  they  not  remain  with  firmness  under  their  colours?  Why  did 
they  abandon  the  ground  which  they  pretend  to  usurp  with  such  ini 
quity  ?  Thus  has  an  honourable  general  kept  his  word.  Had  not 
General  Taylor  said  in  all  his  communications,  that  he  was  prepared 
to  repel  all  hostilities  ?  Why,  then,  does  he  fly  in  so  cowardly  a 
manner  to  shut  himself  up  at  the  point  ?  The  commander-in-chief 
of  the  American  army  has  covered  himself  with  opprobrium  and 
ignominy  in  sacrificing  a  part  of  his  forces,  whom  he  left  in  the  forti 
fications,  to  save  himself;  for  it  is  certain  that  he  will  not  return  to 
their  assistance — not  that  he  is  ignorant  of  their  peril,  but  he  calcu 
lates  that  his  would  be  greater  if  he  had  the  temerity  of  attempting 
to  resist  the  Mexican  lances  and  bayonets  in  the  open  plain." 

The  American  commander  had  left,  at  the  river  fort,  the  7th  regi 
ment  of  infantry,  Bragg's  battery,  Captain  Lord  with  his  company, 
and  an  eighteen-pound  battery,  the  whole  commanded  by  Major 
Jacob  Brown.  He  was  instructed  to  expend  as  little  ammunition  as 
possible,  to  fire  the  eighteen-pounders  at  regular  intervals,  in  case  of 
being  surrounded,  and  on  no  account  to  attempt  offensive  operations. 

Before  daylight  of  May  3d,  a  battery  of  seven  guns,  stationed  at 
Matamoras,  began  a  steady  cannonade  upon  the  American  works. 
The  garrison  were  soon  in  a  condition  for  resisting,  and  in  a  few 
moments  the  eighteen-pounders  were  driving  their  heavy  masses  into 
the  heart  of  the  city.  This  continued  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when 
the  Mexican  guns  ceased,  and  were  succeeded  by  volleys  of  shells 
and  shot  from  a  fort  below  Matamoras.  This  was  afterwards  joined 
by  a  mortar  battery,  and  the  connonade  continued,  with  but  little 
interruption,  until  night.  An  American  officer,  speaking  of  this  first 
day's  attack,  says : — "  My  station  being  in  one  of  the  batteries  oppo 
site  the  fort,  I  could  sometimes  hear  the  shot  crashing  through  the 
houses.  Our  guns  stopped  firing  about  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  as  we 
were  only  wasting  our  ammunition,  and  did  but  little  injury,  except 
to  the  town.  They  kept  on  firing  through  the  day  and  part  of  the 
night,  but  have  done  us  little  injury,  one  man  only  being  killed. 
They  have  a  mortar,  and  annoy  us  considerably  with  their  shells, 
several  of  which  have  exploded  in  the  fort,  but  with  no  serious  in 
jury.  We  are  hourly  expecting  an  attack  from  their  forces,  and  are 
prepared  to  make  a  vigorous  defence." 

The  Mexicans  gave  their  own  version  of  this  affair.     The  silence 


BOMBARDMENT   OF    FORT   BROWN.  217 

of  the  American  guns  was  construed  into  the  result  of  fear,  and  the 
annihilation  of  the  invading  army  was  triumphantly  predicted.  The 
journal  formerly  quoted,  says  : 

"  The  enemy,  in  their  impotent  rage,  and  before  they  concealed 
their  shame  behind  the  most  distant  parapets,  had  the  barbarous  plea 
sure  of  aiming  their  guns  towards  the  city  to  destroy  its  edifices,  as  it 
was  not  in  their  power  to  destroy  the  fortifications  from  which  they 
received  so  much  injury.  This  wicked  revenge,  which  only  springs 
from  cowardly  and  miserable  souls,  did  not  meet  with  the  success 
expected  by  those  who  so  unworthily  adorn  themselves  with  the  title 
of  savants  and  philanthropists.  Their  stupidity  was  equal  to  their 
wickedness.  Almost  all  the  balls  passed  too  high ;  and  those  which 
touched  the  houses,  although  they  were  eighteen-pounders,  did  not 
cause  any  other  mischief  but  that  of  piercing  one  or  two  walls.  If 
those  who  conceived  the  infamous  design  of  destroying  Matamoras 
had  seen  the  contemptuous  laughter  with  which  the  owners  of  those 
houses  showed  their  indifference  for  the  losses  which  they  might  sus 
tain,  they  would  have  admired  the  patriotism  and  disinterestedness 
of  the  Mexicans,  always  ready  to  undergo  the  greatest  sacrifices, 
when  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  their  nationality  and  independence. 
The  glorious  3d  of  May  is  another  brilliant  testimony  of  this  truth ; 
through  the  thickest  of  the  firing,  one  could  remark  the  most  ardent 
enthusiasm  on  all  faces,  and  hardly  had  a  ball  fallen,  when  even  the 
children  would  look  for  it,  without  fearing  that  another  aimed  in  the 
same  manner  should  fall  in  the  same  place.  That,  we  saw  ourselves, 
in  the  public  square,  where  a  multitude  of  citizens  were  assembled. 

"  The  triumph  of  our  arms  has  been  complete  ;  and  we  have  only 
to  lament  the  loss  of  a  sergeant  and  two  artillerymen,  who  fell  glori 
ously  in  fighting  for  their  country.  The  families  of  those  victims 
ought  to  be  taken  care  of  by  the  supreme  government,  to  whose 
paternal  gratitude  they  have  been  recommended  by  the  most  excel 
lent  senor  general-in-chief.  We  must  also  be  consoled  by  the 
thought,  that  the  blood  of  these  brave  men  has  been  revenged  by 
their  bereaved  companions.  As  many  of  our  balls  passed  through 
the  embrasure,  the  loss  to  the  Americans  must  be  very  great;  and, 
although  we  do  not  know  exactly  the  number  of  their  dead,  the  most 
accurate  information  makes  it  amount  to  fifty-six.  It  is  probable  that 
such  is  the  case.  Since  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  abandonment 
of  their  guns,  merely  because  two  of  them  were  dismounted,  and  the 
others  were  uncovered  ;  the  panic-terror  with  which,  in  all  haste,  they 
took  refuge  in  their  furthest  intrenchments,  taking  away  from  the  camp 
all  that  could  suffer  from  the  attack  of  our  artillery ;  the  destruction 
which  must  have  been  occasioned  by  the  bombs,  so  well  aimed,  that 
T  28  ' 


CAMPAIGN  ON  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 

some  would  burst  at  a  yard's  distance  from  the  ground,  in  their  de 
scent  to  the  point  at  which  they  were  to  fall ;  every  thing  contributes 
to  persuade  that,  indeed,  the  enemy  have  suffered  a  terrible  loss.  If 
it  were  not  the  case,  if  they  preserved  some  remnant  of  valour,  why 
did  they  not  dare  to  repair  their  fortifications  in  the  night  ?  It  is  true 
that,  from  time  to  time,  a  few  guns  were  fired  on  them  in  the  night, 
but  their  aim  could  not  be  certain,  and  cowardice  alone  could  force 
them  not  to  put  themselves  in  an  attitude  to  return  the  fire  which  was 
poured  on  them  again  at  daylight.  No  American  put  out  his  head ; 
silence  reigned  in  their  camp  ;  and  for  this  reason  we  have  suspended 
our  fire  to-day — that  there  is  no  enemy  to  meet  our  batteries." 

A  little  before  three  o'clock,  A.M.,  of  the  4th,  a  small  party  appeared 
before  the  fort,  and  on  being  hailed,  announced  themselves  as  "  Cap 
tain  Walker  and  friends  from  Frontone,"  [Point  Isabel.]  They  were 
admitted,  and  the  captain  delivered  to  the  commandant  some  de 
spatches  from  General  Taylor ;  but  although  he  was  anxious  to  return, 
it  was  found  impossible  to  do  so  during  the  day.  The  enemy  did  not 
renew  their  fire  until  the  5th,  an  interval  which  the  Americans  im 
proved  by  finishing  the  defences  of  their  fort,  and  providing,  as  much 
as  possible,  against  the  effects  of  the  hostile  batteries.  Daylight  of 
the  morning  following,  disclosed  a  new  battery,  in  a  field  east  of  the 
Rio  Grande ;  and  during  the  whole  of  that  day  troops  concentrated 
around  and  near  it.  The  Americans  expected  an  assault,  especially 
as  the  army  in  Matamoras  appeared  to  be  uncommonly  active.  In 
the  afternoon,  the  new  battery,  together  with  those  in  Matamoras, 
opened  upon  the  garrison,  who  answered,  with  the  six-pound  howit 
zers.  The  enemy,  however,  evidently  meditated  an  assault,  since 
they  soon  ceased  firing,  and  commenced  hovering  before  the  works, 
as  though  selecting  a  point  of  attack.  While  this  was  going  on, 
Lieutenant  Hanson  obtained  the  major's  permission  to  sally  into  the 
country,  with  a  small  party,  in  order  to  reconnoiter.  His  manceuverings 
soon  attracted  the  notice  of  the  Mexicans,  who  made  several  attempts 
to  surround  and  cut  him  off;  but  he  completed  his  intended  obser 
vations,  escaped  his  opponents,  and  returned  to  the  fort.  The  enemy 
then  spread  themselves  so  as  completely  to  surround  the  Americans ; 
and  Major  Brown  ordered  his  signal  guns  to  be  fired,  in  order  to 
apprize  General  Taylor  of  his  being  besieged. 

Before  daylight  of  the  6th,  all  the  Mexican  batteries  were  in  full 
blast,  and  red  hot  shells  and  shot  poured  into  the  fort  in  one  uninter 
rupted  stream.  The  Americans  did  not  reply,  on  account  of  the 
small  quantity  of  ammunition,  which  it  wras  their  desire  to  retain,  in 
order  to  meet  the  expected  assault.  At  ten  o'clock,  the  major,  while 
superintending  some  new  defences,  was  struck  by  a  cannon  shot, 


DEATH    OF    MAJOR   BROWN. 


Major  Brown  mortally  wounded. 


whicn  tore  away  a  portion  of  his  right  leg,  and  rendered  amputation 
necessary.  He  was  carried  to  a  small  bomb-proof,  and  lived  long 
enough  to  hear  the  report  of  his  general's  cannon  at  Resaca  de  la 
Palma.  His  loss  was  at  that  time  severely  felt ;  and  General  Taylor, 
in  noticing  his  noble  defence  of  the  fort,  has  the  following  language  : 
"  The  field-work  opposite  Matamoras  has  sustained  itself  handsomely 
during  a  cannonade  and  bombardment  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
hours.  But  the  pleasure  is  alloyed  with  profound  regret  at  the  loss 
of  its  heroic  and  indomitable  commander,  Major  Brown,  who  died 
to-day  from  the  effects  of  a  shell.  His  loss  would  be  a  severe  one  to 
the  service  at  any  time,  but  to  the  army  under  my  orders,  it  is  indeed 
irreparable."  In  consequence  of  this  accident,  the  command  of  the 
fort  devolved  on  Captain  Hawkins. 

The  fire  from  the  hostile  batteries  continued  until  noon,  when  it 
ceased  for  two  hours.  A  dull  fire  then  commenced  from  a  single 
battery,  during  which,  parties  of  the  enemy  approached  near  enough 
to  be  fired  upon  by  the  garrison.  The  firing  continued  until  five 
o'clock,  when  the  Mexicans  sounded  a  parley,  and  two  officers  ap 
proached  the  fort,  bearing  a  white  flag.  They  were  met  by  Major 
Sewell  and  Lieutenant  Britton,  and  delivered  the  following  message 
from  General  Arista : 

"You  are  besieged  by  forces  sufficient  to  take  you,  and  there  is, 
moreover,  a  numerous  division  encamped  near  you,  which,  free  from 
other  cares,  will  keep  off  any  succours  which  you  may  expect  to 
receive. 

"  The  respect  for  humanity  acknowledged  at  the  present  age  by  all 


220  CAMPAIGN    ON   THE    RIO   GRANDE. 

civilized  nations,  doubtless  imposes  upon  me  the  duty  of  mitigating 
the  disasters  of  war. 

"  This  principle,  which  Mexicans  observe  above  all  other  nations, 
obliges  me  to  summon  you,  as  all  your  efforts  will  be  useless,  to  sur 
render,  in  order  to  avoid,  by  a  capitulation,  the  entire  destruction  of 
all  the  soldiers  under  your  command. 

"  You  will  thus  afford  me  the  pleasure  of  complying  with  the  mild 
and  benevolent  wishes  above  expressed,  which  distinguish  the  cha 
racter  cf  my  countrymen,  whilst  I  at  the  same  time  fulfil  the  most 
imperious  of  the  duties  which  my  country  requires  for  the  offences 
committed  against  it." 

Some  difficulty  was  experienced  by  the  captain  in  translating  this 
paper,  owing  to  his  interpreter's  scanty  knowledge  of  Spanish  ;  but 
its  meaning  being  understood,  he  called  a  council  of  officers,  and 
asked  the  opinion  of  each,  beginning  at  the  youngest.  They  unani 
mously  resolved  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last  extremity.  In  a  short 
time  Captain  Hawkins  sent  the  following  answer : 

"  Sir — Your  humane  communication  has  just  been  received,  and 
after  the  consideration  due  to  its  importance,  I  must  respectfully 
decline  to  surrender  my  forces  to  you. 

"  The  exact  purport  of  your  despatch  I  cannot  feel  confident  that 
I  understand,  as  my  interpreter  is  not  skilled  in  your  language  ;  but 
if  I  have  understood  you  correctly,  you  have  my  reply  above." 

On  the  reception  of  this  reply,  Arista  opened  his  batteries  with 
more  activity  than  before  ;  and  during  this  and  the  following  day  the 
cannonade  continued.  On  the  evening  of  the  7th,  Captain  Mansfield 
and  a  few  others  were  sent  to  the  plain  to  level  a  traverse  formerly 
erected  by  the  Americans,  and  which  now  afforded  protection  to  the 
enemy.  This  he  accomplished,  and  succeeded  in  returning  without 
being  attacked.  The  Americans  passed  the  night  expecting  every 
moment  an  attack.  At  twelve  o'clock,  the  sound  of  bugles,  and 
firing  of  muskets,  aroused  the  garrison,  and  each  man  was  ordered 
to  his  post.  No  attack  was  made,  and  they  passed  the  day  as  they 
had  done  others,  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  heavy  cannonade 
was  heard  in  the  direction  of  Point  Isabel.  All  knew  whence  it  pro 
ceeded — that  General  Taylor  had  met  the  enemy,  and  was  now 
striving  against  immense  odds.  In  the  excitement,  military  order 
was  forgotten,  and  leaping  on  the  parapets,  amid  the  thick  shot  of 
the  enemy,  the  officers  sent  up  one  deafening  shout,  that  echoed  up 
and  down  the  shores  of  the  Bravo.  Then  with  painful  anxiety,  each 
one  listened  for  a  repetition,  and  as  the  noise  of  the  tumult  grew 
louder  and  louder,  each  one's  feelings  were  wound  up  to  the  highest 
pitch.  Toward  evening  a  Mexican  deserter  reached  the  fort,  and 


EXCITEMENT   AT   FORT   BROWN. 


221 


reported  that  General  Taylor  had  had  an  engagement  with  Arista,  at 
Palo  Alto.  All  night  the  soldiers  were  in  a  state  of  restless  excite 
ment  ;  so  that  when  the  cannonade  from  Matamoras  was  renewed  on 
the  9th,  it  received  little  attention.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day, 
the  general's  cannon  were  again  heard,  and  before  sunset,  masses  of 
fugitives  broke  through  the  adjacent  chaparral,  and  dashed  madly 
toward  the  river.  Then  the  last  sound  of  cannon  died  within  the 
city,  and  following  it,  arose  one  wild  shout  of  victory  from  the  little 
garrison.  The  long  guns  of  the  fort  were  turned  upon  the  crowd  of 
fugitives,  but  with  little  effect. 

The  defence  of  Fort  Brown  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  achievements 
performed  during  the  Mexican  war.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
at  that  time  the  courage  of  the  enemy  had  not  been  tested,  and  an 
American  would  advance  to  engage  a  superior  foe,  with  much  less 
grounds  of  confidence  than  after  he  had,  by  a  number  of  battles, 
proved  himself  invincible.  Major  Brown  had  but  one  infantry  com 
pany,  and  was  deficient  in  provisions,  ammunition,  tents,  and  conve 
niences.  Yet  this  little  handful  toiled  bravely  on,  night  and  day, 
for  more  than  a  week  against  entire  armies,  and  even  after  the  loss 
of  their  commander ;  and  from  them  Mexico  was  taught  that  she 
had  to  deal  with  such  a  foe  as  she  had  never  encountered  before. 


Fort  Brown. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


BATTLE     OF    PALO     ALTO. 


ENERAL  TAYLOR,  as  has  been 
mentioned,  reached  Point  Isabel 
on  the  day  after  his  departure  from 
the  river  fort,  without  having  seen 
the   enemy.      This   was   to   him 
somewhat    unexpected,    and    it   con 
vinced  him  that  the  first  attack  would 
be  made  upon  the  fort,  opposite  Mata- 
moras.     The  opinion  was   soon  con 
firmed.     Before  reveille,  on  the  morn 
ing  of  May  3d,  the  heavy  sound  of 
cannon   came  rolling  from  the  west. 
Instantly  the  whole  camp  was  in  ex 
citement,  each  one  eager  to  march  to  the  relief  of  his   comrades. 
About  the  same  time,  Captain  Walker,  who  had  been  on  a  scout  the 
(222) 


TAYLOR'S  ORDER,  223 

preceding  evening,  returned  and  reported  the  enemy  encamped  in 
the  cduntry  in  great  force,  and  evidently  awaiting  the  return  of  the 
Americans.  He  had  fallen  in  with  their  picket  guard  and  fired 
upon  it. 

On  receiving  this  news,  General  Taylor  determined  to  march  to  the 
relief  of  the  fort,  and  issued  orders  for  the  troops  to  march  at  one 
o'clock ;  but  he  subsequently  changed  his  mind  and  decided  on 
communicating  with  the  garrison.  Captain  Walker  was  selected  for 
this  dangerous  service.  Captain  May,  with  about  one  hundred  dra 
goons  including  ten  rangers,  formed  an  escort.  The  latter  were  to 
proceed  towards  the  river  fort,  and  on  reaching  the  chaparral  near  it, 
to  conceal  themselves,  until  Walker  could  visit  the  fort  and  return. 
They  started  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  nine  o'clock  came  in  sight 
of  the  enemy's  camp-fires  at  Palo  Alto.  May  eluded  observation, 
passed  round  the  entire  circuit  of  the  Mexican  camp,  and  arrived 
within  seven  miles  of  the  river  fort.  Here  he  concealed  his  men, 
while  Captain  Walker,  with  the  ten  rangers,  rode  towrards  the  fort. 
As  has  already  been  stated,  the  latter  officer  was  unable  to  return 
until  the  following  night ;  so  that  May,  supposing  he  had  been  cap 
tured,  set  out  at  daylight  on  a  full  gallop  for  Point  Isabel.  When 
within  twelve  miles  of  it,  he  met  and  charged  one  hundred  and  fifty 
lancers,  pursuing  them  three  miles.  He  reached  the  point  at  nine 
o'clock. 

The  supposed  fate  of  young  Walker  excited  considerable  sensation 
among  the  soldiers,  he  being  a  universal  favourite.  But,  to  the  great 
joy  of  all,  he  returned  on  the  5th,  bringing  with  him  the  gratifying 
intelligence  that  all  was  well  at  the  fort.  He  had  passed  through 
numerous  dangers  in  returning,  as  the  enemy  were  aware  of  his  move 
ments,  and  had  sent  out  numerous  parties  to  intercept  him.  Nothing 
but  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  road,  and  admirable  presence  of 
mind,  could  have  enabled  him  to  escape  them. 

General  Taylor  now  resolved  to  march  to  the  assistance  of  the  fort, 
and  during  the  whole  of  the  6th,  the  soldiers  were  preparing  for  the 
movement.  On  the  7th,  the  commander  issued  the  following  cha 
racteristic  order: 

"The  army  will  march  to-day,  at  three  o'clock,  in  the  direction  of 
Matamoras.  It  is  known  the  enemy  has  recently  occupied  the  route 
in  force.  If  still  in  possession,  the  general  will  give  him  battle. 
The  commanding  general  has  every  confidence  in  his  officers  and 
men.  If  his  orders  and  instructions  are  carried  out,  he  has  no  doubt 
of  the  result,  let  the  enemy  meet  him  in  what  numbers  they  may 
He  wishes  to  enjoin  upon  the  battalions  of  infantry,  that  their  main 
dependence  must  be  in  the  bayonet." 


224 


BATTLE  OF  PALO  ALTO. 


Soldiers  Drinking. 

At  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,the  army  commenced  its  march,  accompa 
nied  by  a  large  train,  rich  both  in  provisions  and  munitions  of  war.  In 
the  wagons  were  six  twelve-pounders,  and  an  additional  battery  of 
two  eighteen-pounders  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Lieutenan 
Churchill,  of  the  artillery.  The  march  across  the  lonely  prairie  pre 
sented  a  singular  and  noble  appearance.  Long  files  of  troops,  in 
exact  order,  the  flying  artillery,  heavy  trains,  wagons  slowly  moving 
by  sluggish  oxen,  contrasting  with  the  pomp  and  glitter  of  military 
array,  all  formed  a  picture  never  before  witnessed  by  the  wilds  of 
Texas.  After  proceeding  five  miles,  the  army  halted  and  encamped 
for  the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  at  an  early  hour,  Captain  Walker  and 
his  scouts  reported  the  camp  of  the  enemy  deserted.  The  general 
supposed  that  they  were  retreating  in  order  to  avoid  battle  ;  but  this 
opinion  proved  incorrect.  The  march  being  resumed  soon  after  sun 
rise,  the  troops  reached  some  thick  mesquite  and  chaparral  thickets, 
in  emerging  from  which,  the  Mexican  army  broke  upon  their  view, 
drawn  up  in  battle  asray,  and  presenting  a  front  of  nearly  a  mile  and 
a  half.  The  sight  filled  each  soldier  with  enthusiasm.  Instead,  how 
ever,  of  leading  them  directly  to  the  attack,  the  general  deliberately 


FEAT   OF   LIEUTENANT   BLAKE.  225 

formed  them  into  columns,  and  then,  grounding  arms,  permitted  them 
to  go,  half  at  a  time,  to  some  neighbouring  pools,  to  refresh  them 
selves,  and  fill  their  canteens.  During  this  interval,  a  daring  feat 
was  performed  by  an  American  officer,  Lieutenant  Blake.  The  ac 
count  we  give,  with  some  little  alteration,  from  one  who  shared  the 
adventure. 

"  After  the  line  of  battle  had  been  formed,  General  Taylor  rode 
along  it  to  survey  the  command.  Every  man  was  perfectly  cool.  At 
this  time  the  general  did  not  know  whether  the  enemy  had  any  artil- 
.ery  or  not,  as  the  long  grass  prairie  prevented  him  from  distinguish 
ing  it,  when  masked  by  men  in  front  of  the  pieces.  To  obtain  this 
knowledge  was  an  all-important  point,  and  Captain  May  was  ordered 
to  go  forward  with  his  squadron,  reconnoiter  the  enemy,  and,  if  pos 
sible,  draw  a  fire  from  their  artillery.  He  accordingly  advanced ; 
but  the  enemy  appeared  to  take  no  notice  of  him.  Lieutenant  Blake 
then  proposed  to  go  forward  alone,  and  reconnoiter.  I  was  close  to 
him,"  says  our  authority,  "  and  volunteered  to  accompany  him.  He 
consented,  and  we  dashed  forward  to  within  eighty  yards  of  their 
line,  the  whole  army  looking  on  us  with  astonishment.  Here  we  had 
a  full  view.  The  lieutenant  alighted  from  his  horse,  and,  with  his 
glass,  surveyed  the  whole  line,  and  handed  it  to  me.  After  making 
a  similar  observation,  I  returned-  the  glass.  •Just  then  two  officers 
rode  out  toward  us.  I  mentioned  it  to  Blake,  and  requested  him  to 
mount.  He  quietly  told  me  to  draw  a  pistol  on  them.  I  did  so,  and 
they  halted.  Had  they  thought  proper,  they  could  have  fired  a  volley 
from  their  main  line,  and  riddled  us  both.  We  then  galloped  along 
the  line  to  its  other  end,  there  examined  them  again,  and  returned." 
The  lieutenant  reported  accurately  the  entire  artillery  force  of  the 
enemy. 

Before  this  reconnoissance  was  completed,  the  army  had  ccmmenced 
its  march  in  the  following  order :  On  the  extreme  right,  the  5th 
infantry,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mclntosh ;  Major  Ring- 
gold's  artillery ;  3d  infantry,  commanded  by  Captain  L.  M.  Morris ; 
two  eighteen-pounders,  under  Lieutenant  Churchill,  3d  artillery; 
4th  infantry,  commanded  by  Major  G.  W.  Allen ;  the  3d  and  4th 
regiments  composed  the  3d  brigade,  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Garland,  and  all  the  above  corps,  together  with  two  squad 
rons  of  dragoons,  under  Captains  Ker  and  May,  composed  the  right 
wing,  under  the  orders  of  Colonel  Twiggs.  The  left  was  formed  by 
the  battalion  of  artillery  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Childs, 
Captain  Duncan's  light  battery,  and  the  8th  infantry,  under  Captain 
Montgomery,  all  forming  the  1st  brigade,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Belknap.  The  train  was  parked  near  the  water, 

29 


226 


BATTLE    OF    PALO   ALTO. 


under  direction  of  Captains  Grossman  and  Myers,  and  protected  by 
Captain  Ker's  squadron. 

IEUTENANT  BLAKE  had  scarcely 
joined  the  army  when  the  enemj 
opened  their  batteries,  which  were 
immediately  answered  by  all  the 
American  artillery.  The  Mexican 
fire  was  increased  by  one  gun  after 
another,  until  their  whole  line  was 
in  an  entire  blaze,  and  the  battle 
ground  was  enveloped  in  clouds 
of  smoke.  Both  armies  had  re 
solved  on  victory,  and  both  be 
haved  in  a  manner  which  showed 
that  they  deserved  it.  But,  unfor- 
wnately  for  the  Mexicans,  they  aimed  many  of  their  pieces  too  high, 
and  pointed  others  at  their  opponents'  guns  instead  of  their  men. 
Their  first  fire,  therefore,  did  little  execution ;  while  Ringgold's  and 
Churchill's  artillery  soon  dispersed  the  cavalry  proceeding  against 
them,  and  Captain  Duncan  mowed  down  scores  of  their  infantry. 
Captain  May's  squadron  of  dragoons  supported  the  latter. 

After  the  artillery  had  led  the  battle  for  some  time,  about  one 
thousand  Mexican  cavalry,  with  two  field-pieces,  were  observed 
moving  through  the  chaparral  on  the  American  right,  either  to  attack 
that  flank,  or  to  make  an  attempt  upon  the  train.  The  5th  infantry, 
being  detached  to  repel  this  movement,  threw  themselves  into  squares, 
and  firmly  waited  an  attack.  They  were  supported  by  Lieutenant 
Ridgely,  with  a  section  of  Ringgold's  artillery,  and  Captain  Walker's 
company  of  volunteers.  The  enemy  m^ed  on  in  one  dense  mass  ; 
but  soon  the  artillery  was  ploughing  through  their  ranks,  crushing 
man  and  horse  beneath  its  powerful  track,  and  overwhelming  the  sur 
vivors  in  utter  confusion.  With  terrible  grandeur  the  battle  was  now 
raging  over  the  entire  field ;  companies  were  wheeling  and  manoeu- 
vering ;  cavalry  charging ;  artillery  galloping  from  point  to  point ; 
while  amid  the  confused  din  of  cannon,  and  shouts,  and  trampling 
steeds,  was  heard  occasionally  the  wailings  of  the  wounded,  or  deep 
groans  of  the  dying. 

i  The  continued  discharges  of  artillery  fired  the  grass  of  the  prairie, 
'which  was,  at  that  season,  as  dry  as  chaff.  The  flame,  small  at  first, 
spread  rapidly  on  every  side,  until  sheets  of  fire,  accompanied  by 
thick  smoke,  shot  along  the  surface,  and  at  length,  growing  fiercer 
as  it  continued,  the  whole  space  between  the  two  armies  was  covered 
by  one  wide  ocean  of  fire,  that  went  tossing  and  roaring  up  to  heaven. 


RINGGOLD    WOUNDED. 


229 


Repulse  of  the  Mexican  Cavalry. at  Palo  Alto. 

The  sounds  of  strife  were  lost,  and  both  armies  suspended  the  work 
of  death.  General  Taylor  availed  himself  of  the  interval  by  forming 
a  new  line.  The  eighteen-pounders  were  ordered  to  the  position 
first  occupied  by  the  Mexican  cavalry,  while  the  1st  brigade  occu 
pied  a  new  position  to  the  left  of  the  battery.  The  5th  was  advanced 
from  its  former  position,  and  occupied  a  point  on  the  extreme  right 
of  the  new  line.  Meanwhile  the  enemy  had  made  a  similar  change 
of  position,  and  after  the  lapse  of  an  hour  the  action  recommenced. 
In  a  little  time  the  fire  from  the  American  guns  grew  most  destruc 
tive.  But,  although  long  openings  were  made  in  their  ranks  at  every 
discharge,  yet  they  sustained  the  severe  cannonade  with  a  constancy 
that  astonished  their  antagonists.  May's  squadron  was  despatched  to 
inake  a  demonstration  on  their  left ;  but,  the  ground  being  unfavour 
able  to  the  movements  of  cavalry,  the  captain  suffered  considerably 
from  the  enemy's  artillery,  without  effecting  his  object.  The  4th 
infantry,  which  had  been  ordered  to  support  the  eighteen-pound  bat 
tery,  was  also  exposed  to  a  galling  fire,  by  which  several  men  were 
killed,  and  Captain  Page  was  severely  wounded.  But  the  enemy's 
principal  efforts  were  directed  against  the  eighteen-pounders,  and  the 
guns  under  Major  Ringgold.  Round  these  swept  a  storm  of  iron  hail, 
which  picked  off  the  men  one  by  one,  and  rattled  fearfully  along  the 
American  cannon.  Here  Ringgold  received  his  death  wound.  He 
was  mounted  at  the  time,  and  the  shot  struck  him  at  right  angles, 
entering  the  right  thigh,  passing  through  the  holsters  and  upper  part 


230  BATTLE  OF  PALO  ALTO. 

of  the  shoulders  of  his  horse,  and  then  striking  the  left  thigh  in  the 
same  line.  A  large  mass  of  muscles  and  integuments  were  carried 
away  from  each  thigh,  but  the  arteries  were  not  divided,  nor  the 
bones  broken.  During  the  whole  day  he  had  managed  his  artillery 
in  a  masterly  manner,  directing  his  shot  not  only  to  groups  and 
masses  of  the  enemy,  but  even  to  particular  men.  He  saw  them  fall, 
their  places  occupied  by  others,  and  they  in  turn  shot  down,  as  he 
still  pointed  his  guns  to  the  same  place,  feeling  as  confident  of  his 
mark  as  though  using  a  rifle. 

IEUTENANT-COLONEL  CHILDS'S 
battalion  moved  up  to  support  the  ar 
tillery  on  the  right.  It  was  followed 
by  a  strong  body  of  cavalry,  which, 
notwithstanding  a  severe  fire  from 
the  eighteen-pounders,  prepared  to 
charge.  The  battalion  was  formed 
in  square,  in  order  to  meet  the 
attack ;  but  when  the  advancing 
squadrons  were  within  close  range, 
a  fire  of  canister  was  opened  upon 
them  with  withering  effect,  and  soon 
they  were  in  full  retreat.  A  brisk  fire  of  small  arms  was  now 
opened  upon  the  square,  by  which  Lieutenant  Luther  was  wounded ; 
but  a  well-directed  fire  from  the  front  of  the  square  silenced  all  fur 
ther  opposition  in  that  quarter. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  on  the  right,  the  Mexicans 
had  made  a  serious  attempt  against  the  American  left.  Lieutenant 
Duncan  met  this  by  a  masterly  movement,  which  largely  contributed 
to  the  final  success.  Under  cover  of  the  smoke,  he  moved  rapidly 
round  to  the  enemy's  right,  and  then,  suddenly  unlimbering,  poured 
in  a  galling  enfilade  fire  upon  their  flank.  Shells  and  shrapnell  shot 
told  with  murderous  effect,  and  in  an  instant  the  enemy's  masses 
were  in  disorder.  A  charge  of  cavalry  at  this  moment  would  have 
swept  the  whole  field ;  but,  as  such  a  movement  would  have  endan 
gered  the  train,  the  American  general  wisely  forebore.  As  night 
approached,  the  fire  of  the  enemy  slackened,  and  it  ceased  on  both 
sides  with  the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  Americans  lay  all  night  upon 
their  arms,  on  nearly  the  same  position  that  the  enemy  had  occupied 
in  the  morning. 

The  total  force  of  the  Americans  in  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto  was 
two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight,  including  one  hundred 
and  seven  officers,  but  a  portion  of  this  force  took  no  part  in  the 
cattle.  The  loss  was  nine  killed,  forty-four  wounded,  and  two  miss- 


MEXICAN   LOSSES. 


231 


Major  Ringgold. 

ing.  The  force  of  the  Mexicans,  according  to  the  statements  of  their 
own  officers,  was  not  less  than  six  thousand  regular  troops,  with  a 
large  irregular  force,  and  ten  pieces  of  artillery.  "  Their  loss,"  says 
General  Taylor,  "  was  not  less  than  two  hundred  killed,  and  four 
hundred  wounded — probably  greater.  This  estimate  is  very  mode 
rate,  and  formed  upon  the  number  actually  counted  on  the  field,  and 
upon  the  reports  of  their  own  officers."* 


*  The  havoc  committed  by  our  artillerists,  amid  the  densely  crowded  masses  of  the 
enemy  was  indeed  terrible.  When  the  Americans  passed  the  battle-field  on  the  9th, 
they  found  heaps  and  groups  lying  piled  upon  each  other,  in  every  imaginable  position, 
and  mangled  in  every  possible  manner.  The  prairie  was  in  many  places  dyed  with 
streams  of  blood  for  several  yards,  and  where  the  grass  had  been  burnt,  carcasses  of  men 
and  horses  blackened  with  fire  and  blood  caused  the  hearts  of  the  victors  to  recoil  within 
them.  The  efficiency  of  the  flying  artillery,  so  remarkably  shown  in  these  battles  of  the 
8th  and  9th  of  May,  became  more  and  more  conspicuous  in  the  subsequent  actions 
of  the  war.  Major  Ringgold,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto,  is  entitled  to  the  per 
petual  remembrance  and  gratitude  of  his  countrymen,  for  his  exertions  in  contributing  to 
bring  this  efficient  arm  of  the  service  into  so  high  a  state  of  discipline. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


BATTLE    OF    RESACA    DE    LA    PALMA. 


URING  the  night  the  two  armies  slept 
quietly,  almost  in  sight  of  each  other. 
.  The  night  was  serene  and  beautiful, 
the  moon  casting  a  soft  light  on  every 
thing  around  ;  and  but  for  the  groans 
of  the  wounded,  and  the  screams  of 
those  suffering  under  the  knife  of  the 
surgeon,  no  one  could  have  imagined 
the  scenes  which  had  occurred  during 
the  day.  The  first  care  of  General 
Taylor  was  to  visit  the  wounded,  and  see 
that  every  comfort  was  supplied.  But  the  constant  and  well-directed 
exertions  of  the  medical  department  left  him  but  little  to  do — every 
one,  whether  officer  or  soldier,  having  been  attended  to  with  unwa 
vering  care  and  watchfulness. 

A  council  of  officers,  held  at  night  on  the  battle-field,  having  de 
cided  to  go  forward,  General  Taylor,  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
(232) 


POSITION    OF   THE    MEXICANS.  233 

» 

9th,  formed  his  line  of  battle  and  moved  forward.  Far  in  the  dis 
tance  was  seen  the  enemy's  host,  moving  slowly  towards  the  chapar 
ral  which  bounded  a  view  of  the  eastern  horizon.  As  the  soldiers 
moved  over  the  recent  battle-field,  many  an  eye  was  pained  at  the 
spectacles  of  misery  lying  thickly  around.  Where  the  artillery  had 
performed  its  fearful  office,  men  and  horses  shattered  and  mutilated, 
were  lying  thickly  piled  upon  each  other.  The  wolf  and  the  vul 
ture  were  revelling  upon  them,  with  whose  screams  were  mingled 
the  groans  of  many  who  through  the  whole  night  had  writhed  and 
moaned  in  the  intensity  of  suffering.  Arms,  trappings,  provisions, 
and  clothing,  strewed  the  field  ;  the  prairie  was  red  with  blood  ;  and 
many  a  gallant  spirit,  whom  the  shock  of  battle  could  not  daunt,  felt 
sick  and  childlike  as  he  gazed  upon  the  wounded  and  dying  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

On  approaching  the  chaparral,  General  Taylor  became  convinced 
that  the  enemy  had  occupied  it  in  force.  Another  battle  seemed  in 
evitable  ;  and  to  prepare  for  it  the  commander  halted  his  troops  near 
a  convenient  watering-place,  where  they  were  allowed  a  season  of 
repose.  Captain  McCall,  with  some  light  companies  under  Captain 
C.  F.  Smith,  and  a  select  detachment,  was  ordered  to  advance  and 
reconnoiter  the  enemy's  position.  They  numbered  about  two  hun 
dred  and  twenty.  Captain  McCall,  with  the  artillery  and  infantry, 
moved  along  the  left  of  the  road,  Captain  Smith  on  the  right,  while 
Captain  Walker  with  some  rangers  was  thrown  in  advance,  and  Lieu- 
tena'ht  Pleasanton,  with  the  2d  dragoons,  brought  up  the  rear.  Walker 
charged  a  party  of  Mexicans,  killing  one  and  capturing  another. 
McCall  entered  the  chaparral,  and  perceived  other  parties  of  infantry 
with  some  cavalry.  These  were  fired  upon  by  Captain  Smith.  On 
reaching  the  borders  of  a  ravine,  known  as  Resaca  de  la  Palma, 
Captain  McCall  was  met  by  a  discharge  from  a  concealed  battery, 
which  killed  or  wounded  three  of  his  men,  and  drove  the  remainder 
into  the  thicket.  At  the  same  time  Lieutenant  Dobbins  was  charged 
by  some  cavalry,  and  fired  upon  from  the  battery,  and  after  a  slight 
skirmish  his  men  were  defeated.  McCall  now  collected  his  command, 
and  placing  them  in  a  strong  position,  sent  three  dragoons  to  inform 
General  Taylor  that  the  enemy  were  in  front. 

The  position  chosen  by  the  enemy  for  the  second  day's  battle  was 
a  most  admirable  one  for  defensive  warfare.  The  ravine  known  as 
Resaca  de  la  Palma,  is  nearly  two  hundred  feet  wide,  and  four  feet 
deep.  It  is  crossed  at  right  angles,  by  the  road  to  Matamoras.  The 
ridges  on  each  side  are  covered  with  dense  rows  of  chaparral,  utterly 
impenetrable  to  horse,  and  defying  every  weapon  save  the  bayonet. 
In  the  thicket  nearest  the  Americans,  as  well  as  in  the  ravine  below, 
u2  30 


234 


BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA  PALM  A. 


the  enemy  lay  in  double  rows ;  and  another  line  of  them  extended 
through  the  chaparral  on  the  opposite  bank.  Three  batteries  were  placed 
so  as  completely  to  sweep  the  road,  their  fires  at  the  same  time 
crossing  each  other.  Through  such  a  pass,  defended  by  six  thousand 
veteran  soldiers,  must  Taylor's  little  army  of  less  than  two  thousand 
men  pass.  In  this  respect,  the  battle-field  of  the  9th  presented  a 
marked  contrast  to  that  of  Palo  Alto,  where,  as  we  have  seen,  each 
army  was  drawn  up  in  open  space,  and  thus  every  opportunity  afforded 
for  maneuvering.  We  will  find  a  consequent  difference  in  the  mode 
of  conducting  the  attack — the  engagement  of  Palo  Alto  being  almost 
entirely  of  artillery ;  that  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  depended  on  othef 
and  more  decisive  weapons. 


COMMENCEMENT   OF   THE    BATTLE. 


235 


cCALL'S    message    reached    the 
general  at  about  three  in  the  af 
ternoon.     He  detached  the  8th 
regiment  with  Duncan's  battery, 
and  Colonel  Child's  artillery  bri 
gade,  to  protect  the  wagon  train, 
which  was  ordered  to  be  imme 
diately  parked.     Ridgely's   bat 
tery,  with  three  regiments  of  artil 
lery,  were  pushed  forward  against 
the  enemy's  infantry  ;  and  at  four 
o'clock  Captains  McCall  and  Smith 
were  ordered  to  bring  on  the  action. 

Captain  Ridgely  moved  carefully  along  the  road,  until  within  sight 
of  the  enemy.  Being  then  met  with  a  heavy  discharge  from  one  of 
their  batteries,  he  rushed  forward  at  full  speed,  until  within  a  con 
venient  distance,  when  the  heavy  roll  of  his  artillery  answering  that 
of  the  enemy,  announced  the  battle  begun.  He  was  seconded  by 
the  5th  infantry,  and  part  of  the  4th,  and  soon  long  streams  of  shot 
were  flying  between  the  armies,  amid  reports  that  shook  the  lonely 
ravine  for  miles  around,  and  echoed  back  to  the  shores  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  A  few  minutes  after,  Captain  McCall  engaged  the  Mexican 
right  wing.  Soon  the  action  became  general.  Through  the  smoke 
of  battle,  companies  might  be  seen  gliding  like  phantoms  from  one 
position  to  another,  discharging  rapid  volleys  of  shot,  or  meeting  the 
charges  of  cavalry.  The  artillery  cut  and  mowed  its  way  through 
entire  regiments;  and  so  terribly  did  Ridgely's  batteries  operate 
upon  the  lancers,  that  for  awhile  they  were  obliged  to  retire  beyond 
its  reach.  So  rapid  were  the  discharges  of  the  Mexican  artillery 
that  no  interval  could  be  distinguished  between  them ;  and  but  that 
they  aimed  too  high,  the  American  batteries  would  have  been  com 
pletely  swept. 

The  3d  and  4th  regiments  were  obliged  to  form  in  the  ravine,  in 
full  view  of  the  Mexicans,  and  exposed  to  their  concentrated  fires. 
Duncan's  battery  was  on  the  edge,  but  in  a  position  from  whence  he 
could  not  fire  without  injury  to  the  two  regiments.  Still  the  action 
raged  with  a  fierceness  never  before  known  in  Mexican  warfare. 
The  best  soldiers  of  the  republic,  most  of  whom  had  grown  gray  in 
her  numerous  wars,  and  who  had  formerly  carried  every  field  on 
which  they  fought,  were  now  contending  for  mastery  in  a  position 
chosen  by  themselves.  But  at  length  superior  discipline  prevailed. 
Gradually,  inch  by  inch,  they  were  driven  with  the  bayonet  through 
the  chaparral,  and  forced  to  take  refuge  in  a  more  distant  position 


236 


BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA  PAL  MA. 


Yet  the  strife  did  not  cease.  Still  the  ravine  batteries  poured  into 
the  heart  of  the  American  infantry,  storms  of  iron  hail,  that  mowed 
down  scores,  while  on  the  very  verge  of  victory.  Here  the  vete 
rans  of  Tampico  had  taken  their  stand,  and  though  the  guns  were 
surrounded  by  the  dead  and  dying,  maintained  their  position  with  an 
obstinacy  worthy  of  victory. 

As  the  fate  of  battle  hung  upon  these  guns,  General  Taylor  sent 
for  Captain  May  to  report  himself  for  duty.  On  his  appearing,  the 
general  ordered  him  to  charge  the  enemy's  batteries.  May,  turning 
to  his  men,  ordered  them  to  follow,  and  then  the  whole  command 
swept  down  the  road  towards  the  ravine.  On  arriving  at  Ridgely's 
position,  they  paused  until  that  officer  drew  the  enemy's  fire ;  and 
then  the  artillery,  being  cleared  from  the  road,  the  intrepid  dragoons, 
with  their  leader  ahead,  dashed  forward  into  the  ravine.  Then,  with 
out  pause,  they  swept  on  towards  the  batteries. 

APTAIN  MAY,  when  nearly  touching 
the  muzzles  of  the  cannon,  turned  to 
encourage  his  men,  but  at  that  moment 
a  blast  from  the  batteries  cut  down 
seven  men  and  eighteen  horses,  seve 
ral  of  the  former  being  whirled  into  the 
very  midst  of  the  Mexicans.  But  un 
dismayed  by  this  sickening  sight,  the 
remainder  sprang  over  the  guns, 
charged  through  the  cannoneers,  and 
reforming,  returned  with  resistless 
force.  The  Mexicans  were  scattered, 
but  in  a  few  minutes  they  had  again 
rallied,  and  with  fixed  bayonets  re 
turned  to  the  shock.  Throwing  themselves  furiously  between  their 
guns,  they  wielded  their  swords  and  bayonets  hand  to  hand  with  the 
cavalry.  One  by  one  they  sunk  beneath  the  superior  weapons ;  yet 
even  when  their  regiment  was  crushed  and  broken,  a  Mexican  en 
deavoured  to  sustain  its  honour  by  wrapping  its  flag  about  him  in 
order  to  bear  it  away.  He  was  ridden  down  by  the  dragoons,  and 
himself  and  flag  captured — the  latter  being  subsequently  sent  to 
Congress  Hall,  at  Washington.  General  La  Vega  was  among  the 
prisoners.  He  was  struck  at  by  May  in  the  first  charge,  but  parrying 
the  blow,  he  called  his  troops  around  him,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
discharging  a  cannon,  when  the  captain  galloped  back  and  ordered 
him  to  surrender.  On  ascertaining  May's  rank,  he  delivered  his 
sword,  and  was  afterwards  conducted  to  General  Taylor. 

Although  May  had  silenced  the  guns,  he  found  it  impossible  for 


239 


Flag  of  the  Tampico  Battalion. 

his  small  command  to  retain  them.  The  Mexican  infantry  concen 
trated  in  one  mass,  and  charging  with  their  bayonets,  gained  posses 
sion  of  the  batteries,  and  prepared  for  a  fearful  struggle.  The  5th 
regiment  rushed  against  them,  and  after  passing  through  a  terrible 
fire,  reached  the  guns,  and  crossed  bayonets  with  their  gallant  foe. 
They  were  encouraged  by  Lieutenant- Colonel  Payne,  aid  to  the  com 
mander,  as  well  as  by  their  own  officers.  The  struggle  was  long 
and  bloody.  May  charged  a  gun  with  but  five  men.  The  8th  in 
fantry,  under  Colonel  Belknap,  advanced  to  his  assistance,  their 
leader  bearing  a  standard  in  front  through  a  storm  of  musketry.  As 
his  soldiers  closed  with  the  Tampico  troops,  the  conflict  became 
more  terrible  than  it  had  been  before,  and  the  wild  shouts  and  impre 
cations  of  infuriated  thousands  wrestling  for  victory,  with  every  pas 
sion  aroused,  united  with  the  clashing  of  swords  and  bayonets,  and 
formed  a  scene  alike  exciting  and  terrible.  Colonel  Belknap  was 
thrown  from  his  horse,  and  the  command  devolved  on  Captain  Mont- 
'gomery.  Some  of  the  troops  fought  breast  deep  in  water,  while  others 
cut  down  the  chaparral  with  their  swords,  in  order  to  afford  their  com 
rades  an  opportunity  to  enter.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mclntosh,  while 
charging  through  the  thicket,  was  surrounded  by  a  number  of  Mexi 
cans,  his  horse  killed,  and  he  himself  wounded  by  a  bayonet,  which 


240 


BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA  PALMA. 


Americans  entering  Arista's  camp. 

entered  his  mouth  and  passed  through  under  his  ear.  Another  bayo 
net  entered  his  arm,  and  a  third  his  hip.  He  was,  however,  finally 
rescued. 

At  this  time,  a  party  under  Lieutenants  Woods,  Hays,  Cochrane, 
and  Anger,  came  unexpectedly  upon  the  camp  of  General  Arista. 
After  seizing  it,  they  were  astonished  at  beholding  a  Mexican  officer 
approach  very  near  their  position.  As  he  appeared  to  be  recon- 
noitering,  a  volley  of  musketry  was  discharged  at  him,  but  he  escaped 
unhurt.  On  repeating  his  daring  feat,  he  was  again  fired  at,  and 
again  escaped ;  and  even  after  a  third  discharge,  he  rode  away 
unhurt.  His  object  was  soon  known.  At  the  head  of  a  body  of  lan 
cers,  he  came  rushing  down  upon  the  party,  heedless  of  a  shower  of 
musketry,  drove  the  Americans  into  the  chaparral,  and  killed  Lieu 
tenant  Cochrane. 

This  was  the  enemy's  last  triumph.  Their  rout  had  already  begun, 
and  soon  living  masses  of  infantry,  dragoons,  and  rancheros,  were 
breaking  through  the  chaparral  and  rushing  towards  the  Rio  Grande. 
Hundreds  were  trodden  down  by  their  own  forces,  while,  as  the  fugi 
tives  came  within  range  of  the  river  fort,  its  garrison,  with  loud 
shouts,  opened  a  fire  upon  them  with  the  eighteen-pounders,  sending 
showers  of  grape  to  second  the  discharges  from  the  main  army. 

Meanwhile  thousands  of  Mexicans — parents,  wives,  and  sisters — 
lined  the  shores  of  the  Rio  Grande,  with  feelings  which  none  may 
experience  save  those  whose  all  hangs  suspended  on  the  fate  of  battle. 
Arista  had  reported  a  victory  on  the  previous  day ;  but  the  roar  of 


ROUT   OF   THE    MEXICANS. 


24l 


Rout  of  the  Mexicans, 


cannon,  swelling  louder,  and  fiercer,  and  nearer,  seemed  to  be  ill 
results  of  a  triumph.  As  anxiety  deepened  into  racking  intensity, 
the  bombardment  of  the  American  fort  ceased ;  cheering  was  sup 
pressed,  and  pale,  terror-stricken  faces,  gazed  silently  towards  the 
east.  In  a  little  while  their  routed  army  came  dashing  through  the 
thicket,  treading  each  other  down,  as  they  hurried  on  to  gain  «the 
river  bank.  Terror  and  eager  haste  were  depicted  in  the  counte 
nances  of  the  fugitives,  as  they  poured  onward  to  the  shore.  All 
distinction  of  rank  was  lost  in  the  common  sense  of  extreme  danger. 
The  terrible  Americans  of  the  north  were  in  the  rear,  the  city  of  refuge 
in  front.  Then  Matamoras  rang  with  a  cry,  such  as  she  had  never 
heard  before — one  of  'misery  and  despair.  Only  one  little  flatboat 
lay  near  the  shore  ;  but  into  this  crowds  of  the  soldiers  hurried,  push 
ing  each  other  off,  or  falling  headlong  from  the  banks  to  a  watery 
grave.  "  Mules,  loaded  with  wounded  and  dying,  were  plunged  in, 
and  numbers  were  precipitated  from  the  shore.  It  was  an  awful 
scene.  Horse  trampled  over  horse,  crushing  their  riders  to  the  earth, 
and  trailing  their  bridles  and  furniture  along  the  ground.  The  river 
X  31 


242  BATTLE    OF   RESACA   DE    LA  PALMA. 

was  foaming  with  life,  while  plunge  after  plunge  announced  the  sad 
fate  of  numbers  more.  The  shouts  of  officers,  curses  of  soldiery,  yells 
of  the  wounded,  and  shrieks  of  the  drowning,  were  appalling. 
Wretched  beings  grasped  the  flatboat  in  agony,  only  to  be  murdered 
by  those  upon  it ;  and  scores  of  mules,  and  hundreds  of  soldiers, 
clenched  in  each  other's  embrace,  sunk  to  a  watery  grave. 

"  Yet,  d  eadful  as  was  this  scene,  it  was  but  the  shadow  of  what 
Matamoras  witnessed  during  the  night.  Mules  were  continually  en 
tering  the  city,  laden  with  wounded,  whose  piercing  shrieks,  as  their 
wounds  bled  afresh  at  each  step,  rose  above  the  din  and  hurry  of 
trampling  armies.  All  discipline  and  order  was  at  an  end,  and  thou 
sands  of  infuriated  soldiers  poured  along  the  streets  for  rapine  and 
plunder.  Women  fled  to  the  ball  rooms,  where  preparations  for  vic 
tory  had  been  made,  and  tore  the  wreaths  and  ornaments  from  the 
walls.  Scarcely  had  they  done  so  when  scores  of  lawless  rancheros 
burst  upon  them  in  the  hurry  of  uncontrollable  passion.  Crime  and 
debauchery  revelled  that  night  in  the  halls  of  Matamoras. 

"  Most  of  the  inhabitants  expected  an  assault  by  General  Taylor, 
and  therefore  seized  a  few  of  their  most  valuable  effects,  and  fled 
into  the  country.  But  the  evil  spirit  was  there  also,  and  the  unfortu 
nate  exiles  were  robbed  and  murdered  in  the  plains,  or  passes  of  the 
mountains.  Matamoras  suffered  more  that  day  from  her  own  citi 
zens,  than  from  the  sword  of  the  enemy."* 

"The  strength  of  our  marching  force  on  this  day,"  says  General 
Taylor,  "  was  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  officers,  and  two  thou 
sand  and  forty-nine  men — aggregate,  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
twenty-two.  The  actual  number  engaged  with  the  enemy  did  not 
exceed  one  thousand  and  seven  hundred.  Our  loss  was  three  officers 
killed  and  twelve  wounded,  thirty-six  men  killed  and  seventy-one 
wounded.  *  *  *  *  I  have  no  accurate  data  from  which  to  estimate 
the  enemy's  force  on  this  day.  He  is  known  to  have  been  reinforced 
after  the  action  of  the  8th,  both  by  cavalry  and  infantry,  and  no  doubt 
to  an  extent  at  least  equal  to  his  loss  on  that  day.  It  is  probable 
that  six  thousand  men  were  opposed  to  us,  and  in  a  position  chosen 
by  themselves,  and  strongly  defended  with  artillery.  The  enemy's 
loss  was  very  great.  Nearly  two  hundred  of  his  dead  were  buried 
by  us  on  the  day  succeeding  the  battle.  His  loss  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing  in  the  two  affairs  of  the  8th  and  9th,  is,  I  think,  mode 
rately  estimated  at  one  thousand  men." 

"  Our  victory  has  been  decisive.  A  small  force  has  overcome  im 
mense  odds  of  the  best  troops  that  Mexico  can  furnish  ;  veteran  regi- 

*  Rough  and  Ready  Annual. 


MEETING  OF   TAYLOR   AND   LA   VEGA.  243 

raents,  perfectly  equipped  and  appointed.  Eight  pieces  of  artillery, 
several  colours  and  standards,  a  great  number  of  prisoners,  including 
fourteen  officers,  and  a  large  amount  of  baggage  and  public  property, 
have  fallen  into  our  hands." 

Some  incidents  of  these  two  memorable  days  are  worthy  of  note 
The  admirable  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Blake,  in  reconnoitering  the 
enemy's  position,  has  been  noticed.  This  brave  officer  was  not  per 
initted  to  share  the  dangers  and  triumph  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  On 
the  morning  of  the  9th,  after  Captain  McCall  had  been  sent  to  recon- 
noiter,  he  rode  back  with  General  Taylor  to  the  train.  Being  excess 
ively  fatigued  with  the  labours  of  the  previous  day,  he  alighted  from 
his  horse,  and,  after  uttering  an  expression  of  gratification  at  the 
prospect  of  repose,  he  threw  his  belt  and  pistols  upon  the  ground. 
Through  some  accident,  one  of  the  latter  exploded,  throwing  its  con 
tents  upward  through  his  body.  The  wound  was  mortal.  He 
expired  in  a  few  hours,  regretting  that  he  had  not  fallen  at  Palo 
Alto. 

HE  capture  of  General  La  Vega  was  a  source 
of  much  gratification  to  the  American  army. 
After  delivering  his  sword,  he  was  con 
ducted,  by  May's  orders,  to  Colonel  Twiggs. 
That  officer  delivered  him  to  Colonel  Childss 
who,  in  conducting  him  through  his  com 
mand,  ordered  the  soldiers  to  present  arms, 
which  they  did  in  the  utmost  silence.  The 
general,  surprised  at  the  salute,  slowly  and 
courteously  raised  his  hat,  and  the  troops 
shouldered  their  arms.  Colonel  Childs  then 
committed  his  prisoner  to  the  charge  of  Cap 
tain  Magruder,  who  conducted  him  to  General  Taylor.  The  American 
commander  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand,  and  is  said  to  have  ad 
dressed  him  as  follows:  "  General,  I  do  assure  you  I  deeply  regret 
that  this  misfortune  has  fallen  upon  you.  I  regret  it  sincerely,  and  I 
take  great  pleasure  in  returning  you  the  sword  which  you  have  this 
day  worn  with  so  much  gallantry."  After  receiving  the  sword,  La 
Vega  made  a  suitable  reply  in  Spanish,  and  was  then  taken  charge 
of  by  Colonel  Twiggs,  'as  his  guest. 

A  description  of  the  battle-ground  has  already  been  given.  The 
following  account  of  its  appearance  after  the  action,  slightly  altered 
from  the  narrative  of  an  eye  witness,  who  shared  the  action,  may  prove 
interesting.  "Our  troops  were  resting  on  the  battle-ground.  Alas,  what 
a  sad  picture  presented  itself.  Around  were  lying  heaps  of  dead, 
dying,  and  disabled  men.  The  sigh,  the  groan,  the  shriek  of  agony 


244  BATTLE  OF   RESACA   DE    LA   PALMA. 

filled  the  air,  whilst  the  eye  could  scarcely  rest  upon  a  spot  where 
there  were  not  dead  bodies,  mutilated  limbs,  and  groups  of  men 
crushed  into  one  undistinguished  mass. 

"  Resaca  de  la  Palma  is  covered  with  the  graves  of  our  fallen 
countrymen,  who  fell,  many  of  them,  fighting  hand  to  hand  with  the 
enemy.  Their  antagonists  are  buried  around  them  by  hundreds.  I 
was  shown  one  grave,  near  the  spot  where  the  brave  Cochrane  is 
interred,  in  which  eight  Mexicans  are  said  to  have  been  placed ;  and 
there  are  many  more,  each  containing  a  score  or  two  of  the  slaugh 
tered  foe.  The  grave  of  poor  Inge  was  pointed  out  to  me.  It  is 
near  where  one  of  the  enemy's  batteries  was  posted.  It  was  with 
feelings  of  deep  sadness  that  I  recalled  to  mind  the  many  virtues  of 
this  gallant  and  noble-minded  officer.  He  had  left  a  young  wife  in 
Baltimore,  and  had  arrived  at  Point  Isabel  with  a  body  of  recruits 
just  in  time  to  march  with  General  Taylor.  He  had  distinguished 
himself  in  both  battles  by  his  heroic  daring,  and  fell*  at  the  moment 
when  that  brilliant  victory,  to  which  he  contributed  so  largely,  was 
about  to  declare  itself  in  favour  of  our  arms.  Mexican  caps,  and 
remnants  of  their  clothing  are  scattered  here  and  there,  and  the  whole 
field  is  dotted  with  marks  of  the  enemy's  camp  fires.  It  is  a  wild 
looking  place,  and  so  advantageous  was  the  position  of  the  enemy, 
that  it  will  ever  remain  a  wonder  to  me  that  our  little  army  was  not 
cut  to  pieces  by  their  greatly  superior  force.  Over  a  great  portion 
of  the  ground  on  which  our  army  prepared  to  attack  them,  the  thickets 
are  so  dense  that  a  dog  would  find  it  difficult  to  penetrate  them. 
The  men  actually  pushed  each  other  through  these  thickets,  and  be 
came  divided  into  small  squads  of  from  three  to  six." 

HE  American  army  bivouacked  on  the  field ; 
while  for  the  first  time  since  the  morning  of 
the  3d,  the  garrison  under  Captain  Hawkins 
slept  in  conscious  security.  The  valour  of 
these  troops,  isolated  as  they  were  from  all 
immediate  succour,  and  oft  watch  night  and 
day,  is  equally  praiseworthy  with  that  of 
those  who  fought  with  Arista  in  the  open 
field.  The  enemy  had  fired  at  them  about  two  thousand  seven  hun 
dred  shells  and  shot ;  but  strange  to  say,  only  one  officer  and  a  ser 
geant  were  killed,  and  thirteen  others  wounded.  The  difficulties  of 
their  situation  were  increased  by  the  presence  of  all  the  camp  women 
who  had  been  left  there  by  General  Taylor.  In  honour  of  the  la 
mented  commander,  the  fort  was  denominated  Fort  Brown.  '^ 

*  In  May's  charge  on  the  Mexican  battery. 


TAYLOR  CONGRATULATES  THE  ARMY. 


240 


The  army  were  congratulated  for  their  success  in  the  following 
terms— [order  No.  59,  May  11,  1846]  : 

"  The  commanding  general  congratulates  the  army  under  his  com 
mand  upon  the  signal  success  which  has  crowned  its  recent  opera 
tions  against  the  enemy.  The  coolness  and  readiness  of  the  troops 
during  the  action  of  the  8th,  and  the  brilliant  impetuosity  with  which 
the  enemy's  position  and  artillery  were  carried  on  the  9th,  have  dis 
played  the  best  qualities  of  the  American  soldier.  To  every  officer 
and  soldier  of  his  command,  the  general  publicly  returns  his  thanks 
for  the  noble  manner  in  which  they  have  sustained  the  honour  of  the 
service,  and  of  the  country. 

"  While  the  main  body  of  the  army  has  been  thus  actively  em 
ployed,  the  garrison  left  opposite  Matamoras  has  rendered  no  less 
distinguished  service,  by  sustaining  a  severe  cannonade  and  bombard 
ment  for  many  successive  days. 

"  The  army  and  country,  while  justly  rejoicing  in  this  triumph  of 
our  arms,  will  deplore  the  loss  of  many  brave  officers  and  men  who 
fell  gallantly  in  the  hour  of  combat. 

"  It  being  necessary  for  the  commanding  general  to  visit  Point 
Isabel  on  public  business,  Colonel  Twiggs  will  assume  command  of 
the  corps  of  the  army  near  Matamoras,  including  the  garrison  of  the 
field-work.  He  will  occupy  the  former  lines  of  the  army,  making 
such  disposition  for  defence,  and  for  the  comfort  of  his  command,  as 
he  may  deem  advisable.  He  will  hold  himself  strictly  on  the  de 
fensive  until  the  return  of  the  commanding  general." 


Death  of  Ringgold. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


BARITA    AND    MATAMORAS    CAPTURED. 


AJOR  RINGGOLD  expired  on  the  llth, 
at  Point  Isabel,  and  his  funeral,  with  ap 
propriate  ceremonies,  took  place  on  the 
12th.  The  major  was  a  graduate  of 
West  Point,  and  esteemed  one  of  the 
best  artillery  officers  in  the  service.  For 
some  time  he  commanded  a  battery  of 
light  artillery,  and  lived  to  see  the  per 
fection,  to  which  he  had  brought  that 
arm  of  the  service,  exemplified  on  the 
battle-field.  During  the  sixty  hours 
that  he  survived  his  wound,  he  had  but  little  pain,  and  at  intervals 
slept.  He  spoke  frequently  of  the  execution  done  by  his  battery, 
and,  notwithstanding  his  condition,  seemed  to  participate  in  the 
triumph  of  victory  as  much  as  those  around  him. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1846,  an  exchange  of  prisoners  took  place 
between  the  two  armies,  by  which  the  Americans  recovered  Cap 
tains  Thornton  and  Hardee,  Lieutenant  Kane,  and  others.  The  Mexi 
can  officers  were  liberated  on  parole ;  but  this  was  declined  by 
General  La  Vega,  on  the  ground  that  he  would  not  be  permitted  to 
remain  quiet  in  Mexico.  The  Americans,  having  a  surplus  of  pri 
soners,  permitted  them  to  rejoin  their  countrymen  after  giving  a 
receipt  of  their  number. 

Early  on  the  same  day,  General  Taylor  sent  to  Mataraoras  for  sur 
geons  to  attend  the  Mexican  wounded ;  while  at  the  same  time  he 
(246) 


TAKING   OF   BARITA. 


247 


ordered  his  men  to  collect  their  dead,  and  bury  them  on  the  same 
tield  with  his  own.     These  orders  were  punctually  obeyed. 

On  the  llth,  General  Taylor  left  Fort  Brown  for  Point  Isabel,  in 
order  to  hold  a  communication  with  Commodore  Conner,  of  the  gulf 
squadron.  The  commodore  had  but  lately  arrived  at  the  point,  with 
sufficient  force  to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  a  successful  attack. 
He  now  concerted  with  the  commander,  a  combined  movement 
against  all  the  Mexican  posts  on  the  Rio  Grande,  designing  to  leave 
in  each  of  them  after  its  capture,  a  garrison  sufficient  to  repel  all 
attempts  at  regaining  it. 

On  the  13th,  General  Taylor  with  his  staff  and  a  body  of  dragoons, 
set  out  for  Fort  Brown.  He  had  proceeded  but  a  little  distance, 
when  he  was  met  by  a  courier  with  the  information  that  a  large  Mexi 
can  force  had  arrived,. during  his  absence,  at  Matamoras,  and  that 
the  enemy  were  fortifying  Barita,  a  small  town  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  river,  near  the  gulf.  This  news  determined  him  to  return  to 
Point  Isabel,  in  order  to  draw  from  thence  a  detachment  sufficiently 
large  to  guard  against  all  exigencies  at  his  principal  station.  On 
reaching  the  point,  he  found  that  a  large  force,  both  of  regulars  and 
volunteers,  had  just  arrived.  They  came  from  Louisiana  and  Ala 
bama,  being  the  first  soldiers  sent  from  the  United  States  in  answer 
to  the  general's  demand  for  troops. 

The  general  now  selected  about  six  hundred  men,  with  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  wagons  filled  with  stores,  and  with  these,  and  an  artil 
lery  train,  he  again  started  on  the  14th  for  the  river  fort.  He  reached 
it  on  the  same  day,  and  immediately  commenced  operations  for  an 
attack  upon  Barita. 

OMMODORE  CONNER  had  arranged  with 
the  general,  the  plan  of  assault.  He  was 
to  blockade  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  land 
stores,  troops,  and  other  necessaries,  while 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Wilson,  with  three, 
companies  of  volunteers,  under  General 
Desha,  and  Captains  F.  Stockton  and 
Tobin  were  to  cross  below  Matamoras, 
and  march  down  the  river  bank  to  the 
town.  Owing  to  inclement  weather,  the 
commodore  was  not  able  to  pass  his  ves 
sels  over  the  bar,  and  for  this  reason,  could 
not  co-operate.  Wilson,  howrever,  crossed 
the  river,  and  moved  down  upon  the  station.  To  his  astonishment 
he  met  with  no  enemy,  and  the  important  post  of  Barita  was  taken 
without  the  loss  of  a  man.  Some  of  the  inhabitants,  at  the  approach 


248       CAPTURE    OF   BARITA   AND    MATAMORAS. 


of  the  Americans,  fled  into  the  interior ;  but  in  a  few  days  they  re 
turned,  and  business  resumed  its  customary  routine.  Barita  is  a 
small  village,  (rancho,)  about  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
and  the  same  distance  from  Point  Isabel.  It  is  the  first  high  land 
reached  on  ascending  the  river,  the  ground  being  elevated  so  as  to 
command  every  thing  around  it.  It  forms  an  excellent  position  for 
a  military  station,  communicating  with  the  river  above  and  below,  as 
well  as  with  Point  Isabel,  and  the  interior  of  Northern  Mexico. 

So  embarrassing  was  the  situation  of  General  Taylor,  through  want 
of  boats,  and  necessary  articles  for  crossing  the  river,  that  he  was  not 
able  to  complete  his  preparations  for  this  purpose  until  the  17th. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  while  the  Americans  were  march 
ing  to  the  ford,  and  orders  had  been  already  issued  to  Colonel 
Twiggs,  the  Mexicans  sounded  a  parley,  and  soon  after  General 
Requena  waited  upon  the  American  commander,  with  a  commu 
nication  from  the  city.  General  Arista  proposed  an  armistice,  affirming 
that  the  difficulties  between  the  two  nations  would  speedily  be  settled. 

HE  general  replied  that  no  armistice  could 
be  granted,  at  the  same  time  reminding  the 
Mexican  officer  that,  a  month  before,  he  had 
proposed  one  to  General  Ampudia,  which 
was  declined.  Circumstances  had  now 
changed.  He  had  neither  invited  nor  pro 
voked  hostilities,  nor  would  he  suspend 
them.  General  Requena  then  wished  to 
know  if  the  Americans  intended  taking 
Matamoras.  The  commander  answered  in 
the  affirmative ;  but  declared  that  Arista 
might  withdraw  his  troops  on  condition  of 
leaving  the  public  property  of  every  kind 
The  officer  then  left,  promising  to  bring  an 
answer  from  General  Arista  at  three  o'clock. 
Meanwhile  the  troops  were  marching 
towards  the  station,  from  whence  thevwere 

9  v 

to  cross.  All  the  boats  on  the  river  were 
secured,  and  before  midnight,  every  thing 
was  ready  for  a  descent  on  Matamoras,  on 
the  morning  following.  The  promised 
answer  of  General  Arista  had  not  arrived. 
This  circumstance  confirmed  General  Taylor  in  his  suspicions, 
that  the  armistice  was  a  pretence  for  gaining  time.  This  was  made 
certain  during  the  evening  by  the  country  people,  who  reported  that 
the  Mexican  army  were  marching  out  of  Matamoras  with  all  haste. 


SURRENDER   ON   MATAMORAS. 


249 


AJOR  CRAIG,  Captains  Bliss  and 
Miles,  and  Lieutenant  Britton,  were 
deputed,  on  the  18th,  to  wait  upon 
the  authorities  of  Matamoras,  and  de 
mand  a  surrender  of  that  city.  After 
sounding  a  parley,  Lieutenant  Britton 
crossed  with  a  white  flag,  and  was 
met  by  a  committee  of  citizens,  headed 
by  the  prefect.  The  latter  crossed 
the  river,  and  brought  over  the  Ame 
rican  deputation,  when  the  whole 
party  proceeded  to  the  prefect's  office 
in  Matamoras.  Captain  Bliss  then 

presented  to  the  Mexican  authorities  a  demand  for  the  immediate  sur 
render  of  the  city  and  its  public  stores,  providing,  at  the  same  time, 
for  the  security  of  all  private  property,  and  for  the  undisturbed  pos 
session  by  the  inhabitants  of  all  civil  and  religious  rights.  A  definite 
answer  being  required,  the  prefect  said  that  General  Taylor  could 
march  his  troops  into  the  city  at  any  hour  that  might  suit  his  conve 
nience.  The  deputation  returned,  and  reported  to  their  general. 

Meanwhile  the  American  batteries  and  eighteen-pounders  had  been 
placed  in  such  a  position  along  the  shore,  as  to  defend  the  crossing 
in  case  of  attack.  Ten  men,  under  Lieutenant  Hays  and  Captain 
Walker,  were  then  sent  over  to  ascertain  the  force  and  position  of 
the  enemy.  They  were  followed  by  the  light  battalion  companies, 
and  the  infantry  of  the  3d,  4th,  and  5th  companies.  Two  companies 
of  the  artillery  battalion,  under  Captain  Smith,  together  with  Ker's 
squadron  of  dragoons,  came  next.  Ridgely's  artillery  followed,  and 
about  the  same  time  Captain  Ker  took  possession  of  Fort  Paredes,  on 
the  Mexican  side,  and  erected  the  national  flag  upon  the  acknow 
ledged  soil  of  Mexico.  At  this  juncture  Captain  Bliss  joined  Gene 
ral  Taylor,  and  reported  the  result  of  his  interview  with  the  prefect. 
The  satisfaction  o'f  the  Americans  at  thus  gaining  easy  access  to  a 
large  and  commodious  city,  was  alloyed  by  sorrow  at  the  fate  of 
Lieutenant  Stephens,  of  the  2d  dragoons,  wrho  was  accidentally 
drowned.  He  had  accompanied  Captain  May  in  his  charge  at  Re  sac  a 
de  la  Palma,  and,  although  young,  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  army 
lor  his  skill  and  bravery. 

During  the  night  of  the  18th  a  small  guard  was  placed  in  the  city 
to  maintain  order — the  main  body  of  the  American  army  bivouacking 
along  the  shores  of  the  river.  Colonel  Twiggs  lay  above  the  city. 
General  Worth  below,  and  the  remainder  of  the  army  at  intermediate 
stations. 

32 


250       CAPTURE    OF   BAR IT A   AND    MATAMORAS. 


General  Worth  had  but  lately  reappeared  at  the  theatre  of  war ; 
and  the  cause  of  his  temporary  absence  has  now  to  be  explained 
His  last  important  act,  previous  to  his  leaving  the  army,  was  the  in 
terview  with  the  Mexican  authorities,  immediately  after  planting  the 
American  flag  on  the  river  bank.  Previous  to  this  a  dispute  had 
arisen  between  him  and  Colonel  Twiggs,  as  to  precedence  of  rank. 
Twiggs's  appointment  [colonel  2d  dragoons]  was  dated  June  8, 
1833 ;  Worth's  [colonel  8th  infantry]  July  7,  1838 ;  but,  in  addition 
to  this,  Worth  had  been  twice  brevetted  as  brigadier-general,  and  it 
was  on  virtue  of  this  that  he  now  based  his  claim  for  a  rank  next  to 
General  Taylor.  Twiggs  refused  to  yield,  affirming  that  a  brevet  was 
no  commission,  and  consequently  conferred  no  rank.  The  matter 
was  referred  to  General  Taylor,  who  decided  in  favour  of  Twiggs. 
Considering  the  decision  unjust,  Worth  threw  up  his  commission, 
and  sailed  for  the  United  States.  Previous  to  departing,  he  addressed 
a  letter  to  General  Taylor,  in  which,  while  regretting  the  necessity 
of  the  step,  he  expressed  his  belief  that  open  hostilities  would  not 
occur,  but,  should  that  be  the  case,  he  would  gladly  withdraw  his 
resignation.  "If,"  he  concludes,  " there  is  any  form  or  manner  in 
which,  out  of  authority,  I  can  serve  you,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say 
with  what  alacrity  I  shall  be  always  at  your  command.  At  the  earliest 
moment  when  you  feel  assured  that  no  conflict  is  at  hand,  or  in  pros 
pective,  I  shall  be  much  gratified  by  being  allowed  to  retire,  and  not 
before." 

ORTH  had  scarcely  reached  Washington, 
and  tendered  his  resignation,  when  news 
of  Taylor's  difficulties  reached  that  city, 
followed  in  a  few  days  by  accounts  of  the 
battles  on  the  Rio  Grande.  Previous  to 
receiving  the  latter,  Worth  wrote  as  fol 
lows  to  the  adjutant-general : 

"  Reliable  information,  which  I  have 
this  moment  received  from  the  head-quar 
ters  of  the  army,  in  front  of  Matamoras, 
makes  it  not  only  my  duty,  but  accords 
with  my  inclination,  to  request  permission 
to  withdraw  my  resignation,  and  that  I  be 
ordered  or  permitted  forthwith  to  return 
to,  and  take  command  of,  the  troops  from 
which  I  was  separated  on  the  7th  of  April,  by  order  No.  43,  army 
of  occupation." 

This  request  being  complied  with,  the  general  left  Washington  on 
the  llth  of  May,  and  reached  the  Rio  Grande  in  time  to  participate 


251 


Public  Square,  Matamoras. 

in  the  taking  of  Matamoras.  After  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the 
American  troops,  Colonel  Twiggs  was  appointed  military  governor. 
So  precipitate  had  been  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  that  large  quanti 
ties  of  military  stores  were  strewed  along  their  track,  boxes  and  store 
houses  were  broken  open,  and  quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition 
thrown  into  wells  and  among  thickets. 

An  officer  of  the  American  army  thus  describes  the  city : — "  Mata 
moras  is  a  much  handsomer  place  than  I  expected  to  find  it.  It 
covers  two  miles  square,  though  by  no  means  as  compact  as  an 
American  city.  Every  house,  except  those  around  the  public  square, 
has  a  large  garden  attached.  The  houses  in  the  business  part  of  the 
town  are  built  after  the  American  fashion,  though  seldom  exceeding 
two  stories  in  height.  All  the  windows  to  these  buildings  are  grated 
from  top  to  bottom  with  iron  bars,  and  half  of  the  door  only  opens  for 
admittance,  which  gives  them  the  appearance  of  prisons,  more  than 
business  houses.  The  public  square  is  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and 
must  have  been  laid  out  "by  an  American  or  European,  for  the  Mexi 
cans  never  could  have  laid  it  out  with  such  beauty  and  precision. 
On  the  four  sides  of  the  square  the  houses  are  built  close  together, 
as  in  a  block,  and  are  all  of  the  same  size  and  height,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  cathedral,  which,  though  unfinished,  still  towers  above 
the  others.  In  these  houses  are  sold  dry  goods,  groceries,  and  every 
kind  of  wares,  with  now  and  then  an  exchange  or  coffee-ho^ose 


252       CAPTURE    OF   BARITA   AND    MATAMORAS. 

They  are  principally  occupied  by  Europeans,  and  one  can  hear 
French,  English,  Spanish,  and  German,  spoken  at  the  same  time. 
After  leaving  the  public  square,  on  either  side,  the  houses  decrease 
in  size  and  beauty  for  two  or  three  squares,  when  the  small  reed  and 
thatched  huts  commence,  and  continue  to  the  extreme  limits  of  the 
place." 

Thus  in  the  short  space  of  twenty-three  days  after  the  capture  of 
Captain  Thornton,  which  may  be  considered  the  commencement  of 
actual  war,  the  Americans  had  defeated  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy 
in  two  battles,  driven  their  army  into  the  interior,  entirely  destroying 
its  moral  efficiency,  successfully  defended  two  isolated  positions,  cap 
tured  Barita  and  Matamoras,  and  destroyed  for  ever  the  Mexican 
jurisdiction  in  Texas.  Such  results  had  displayed  to  the  world  the 
military  character  of  our  officers  and  troops.  The  long  peace  had 
not  impaired  the  national  energy,  nor  rendered  less  formidable  that 
army,  which  in  the  nation's  infancy  had  twice  braved  the  utmost 
efforts  of  Great  Britain ;  and  foreign  powers,  who  had  scoffed  at  the 
unavoidable  prolongation  of  the  Seminole  difficulties  in  Florida,  were 
taught  other  dispositions,  when  a  fair  opportunity  was  offered  for  the 
display  of  our  energies. 

But  this  campaign  did  more.  It  taught  our  own  soldiers  their 
efficiency.  Since  that  time,  no  American  force  has  ever  thought  of 
being  defeated  by  any  amount  of  Mexican  troops.  Whenever  and 
however  the  two  nations  have  met  in  the  field,  the  Americans  were 
sure  of  victory  before  the  battle  commenced.  This  very  confidence 
has  no  doubt  often  been  one  main  cause  of  triumph.  Had  the  battle 
of  Buena  Vista  been  the  first  one  of  the  war,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  Santa  Anna  would  have  triumphed ;  for  often,  during 
the  exigencies  of  that  terrible  action,  when  victory  hung  in  long  un 
certainty  upon  the  conduct  of  single  parties,  the  remembrance  of 
former  triumphs  was  the  mainspring  of  American  effort.  Such  was 
the  case,  too,  in  the  battles  before  Mexico ;  and  frequently  even 
the  Mexicans  seem  to  have  contended  less  for  victory,  than  for  the 
support  of  the  national  honour,  by  a  vigorous  though  unsuccessful 
resistance. 

Another  result  of  our  operations  on  the  Rio  Grande,  was  to  bring 
prominently  before  the  nation  the  merit  of  our  officers.  It  might  seem 
inexplicable  to  the  commanders  of  Europe,  that  the  general  who  now 
ranks  among  the  first  of  our  military  men,  was,  prior  to  these  opera 
tions,  unknown  even  by  name  to  the  bulk  of  his  countrymen.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  Generals  Twiggs,  Worth,  Smith,  and  others,  all 
of  whom  are  now  among  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the  service. 
Other  generals  have  been  appointed  since  that  time,  some  of  whom 


253 


have  displayed  a  valour  and  skill  remarkable  in  citizen  soldiery;  but 
none  have  ever  taken  that  hold  upon  public  approbation,  which  a 
grateful  nation  has  spontaneously  extended  to  the  heroes  of  the  Rid 
Grande.  These  first  operations  of  the  war  must  be  considered  the 
foundation  on  which  is  based  to  a  great  extent  all  the  glory  which 
has  accrued  to  our  nation  from  the  Mexican  war. 


Mexicans  in, their  holiday  attire. 


General  Gaines. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


EVENTS    SUBSEQUENT    TO    THE    CAPTURE    OF    MATAMOKAS. 


HE   crossing   of  the  Rio  Grande  placed  the   relative 
position  of  the  two  armies  in  a  new  aspect.     Hitherto 
General   Taylor's  force  had  been  an  army  of  occu 
pation,  now  it  was   to  become  an  invading   power. 
Future  triumphs  were  to  be  not  only  victories  but  con 
quests;  disputed  boundary  no  longer  formed  an  im 
pediment  to  onward  progress ;  and  the  city  of  Mexico  now  became 
the  ultimate  object  of  military  operations. 

On  the  llth  of  May,  1846,  President  Polk,  after  receiving  in- 
(254) 


MESSAGE    OF   THE    PRESIDENT.  255 

telligence  of  Thornton's  capture,  transmitted  to  the  American  con 
gress  a  message,  in  which  he  announced  that  war  had  actually 
commenced.  After  a  long  enumeration  of  the  causes  of  this  event, 
and  of  the  aggressions  committed  by  Mexico  against  our  citizens, 
the  president  Concludes  in  the  following  language :  "  War  actually 
existing,  and  our  territory  having  been  invaded,  General  Taylor, 
pursuant  to  authority  vested  in  him  by  my  direction,  has  called  on 
tne  governor  of  Texas  for  four  regiments  of  state  troops,  two 
to  be  mounted,  and  two  to  serve  on  foot ;  and  on  the  governor  of 
Louisiana,  for  four  regiments  of  infantry,  to  be  sent  to  him  as  soon 
as  practicable. 

"  In  further  vindication  of  our  rights,  and  defence  of  our  territory, 
I  invoke  the  prompt  action  of  Congress,  to  recognize  the  existence  of 
the  war,  and  to  place  at  the  disposition  of  the  executive  the  means 
of  prosecuting  the  war  with  vigour,  and  thus  hastening  the  restora 
tion  of  peace.  To  this  end  I  recommend  that  authority  should  be 
given  to  call  into  the  public  service  a  large  body  of  volunteers,  to 
serve  for  not  less  than  six  or  twelve  months,  unless  sooner  discharged. 

"  A  volunteer  force  is,  beyond  question,  more  efficient  than  any 
other  description  of  citizen  soldiers ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that 
a  number,  far  beyond  that  required,  would  readily  rush  to  the  field 
upon  the  call  of  their  country.  I  further  recommend  that  a  liberal 
provision  be  made  for  sustaining  our  entire  military  force,  and  fur 
nishing  it  with  supplies  and  munitions  of  war. 

"  The  most  energetic  and  prompt  measures,  and  the  immediate 
appearance  in  arms  of  a  large  and  overpowering  force,  are  recom 
mended  to  Congress  as  the  most  certain  and  efficient  means  of  bring 
ing  the  existing  collision  with  Mexico  to  a  speedy  and  successful 
termination. 

"  In  making  these  recommendations,  I  deem  it  proper  to  declare, 
that  it  is  my  anxious  desire,  not  only  to  terminate  hostilities  speedily, 
brt  to  bring  all  matters  in  dispute  between  this  government  and 
Mexico  to  an  early  and  amicable  adjustment ;  and  in  this  view  1 
shall  be  prepared  to  renew  negotiations,  whenever  Mexico  shall  be 
ready  to  receive  propositions,  or  to  make  propositions  of  her  own." 

Agreeably  to  these  suggestions  of  the  president,  Congress  passed 
an  act  on  the  13th  of  May,  declaring  the  existence  of  war  between 
the  two  republics,  empowering  the  president  to  accept  the  services 
of  fifty  thousand  volunteers,  and  appropriating  ten  millions  of  dol 
lars  to  defray  expenses.  Thus  authorized,  the  executive  issued  a 
proclamation,  invoking  the  nation  to  assist  in  sustaining  these 
measures. 

After  the  capture  of  Matamoras,  the  American  general  used  every 


256 


COLONEL  GARLANDS  OPERATIONS. 


exertion  to  increase  the  impression  already  made  upon  the  Mexican 
nation.  On  the  day  following  the  surrender  of  the  city,  Colonel  Gar 
land,  with  two  companies  of  rangers  and  the  dragoons,  was  sent  into 
the  interior  to  follow  up  and  observe  the  course  of  the  retreating 
army.  The  command,  being  quite  small,  was  not  designed  for  hos 
tile  operations,  but  merely  as  a  corps  of  observation.  After  proceed 
ing  about  twenty-seven  miles,  he  fell  in  with  the  enemy's  rear-guard, 
which  he  attacked,  killing  two  men,  wounding  two,  and  capturing 
twenty,  with  their  baggage.  Two  of  his  rangers  were  wounded. 
He  advanced  sixty  miles,  and  returned  to  Matamoras  on  the  22d. 

About  this  time  large  reinforcements  of  troops  began  to  arrive,  in 
answer  to  the  requisition  made  by  General  Taylor  upon  the  governors 
of  the  more  southern  states.  The  influx  of  these  volunteers  was 
so  rapid,  and  in  such  large  quantities,  that  the  general  soon  found 
himself 'completely  embarrassed.  The  object  purposed  by  govern 
ment  he  was  not  aware  of;  and,  having  but  a  limited  quantity  of  sup 
plies,  he  was  soon  in  a  situation  more  perplexing  than  that  which 


TAYLOR   TO   THE    ADJUTANT-GENERAL.          257 

preceded  the  8th  of  May.  From  this  time  the  general  is  observed 
under  peculiar  circumstances,  struggling  with  difficulties  which  he 
had  had  no  agency  in  producing,  and  the  removal  of  which  was 
entirely  beyond  his  control.  The  history  of  this  period,  though  chiefly 
diplomatic,  forms  an  interesting  chapter,  and  abounds  in  reasons  for 
many  otherwise  inexplicable  subsequent  events.  On  the  20th  of  May, 
the  commander  wrote  as  follows  to  the  adjutant-general  at  Washington : 

"  On  the  26th  of  April,  I  had  found  it  necessary  to  use  the  autho 
rity  with  which  I  was  vested,  and  call  upon  the  governors  of  Louis 
iana  and  Texas  for  a  force  each  of  four  regiments.  The  eight  regi 
ments  thus  called  for  would  make  a  force  of  nearly  five  thousand 
men,  which  I  deemed  sufficient  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  service  in 
this  quarter.  At  the  same  time  that  I  wrote  to  the  governor  of  Louis 
iana,  requesting  this  volunteer  force,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  General 
Gaines,  desiring  him  to  assist  in  organizing  these  regiments,  and 
having  them  promptly  supplied.  In  my  communication  to  the  go 
vernor,  the  organization  was  very  exactly  prescribed,  being  that  indi 
cated  from  your  office,  on  the  25th  of  August,  1845.  I  find,  how 
ever,  that  the  organization  has  been  exceeded,  and,  moreover,  that 
General  Gaines  has  called  for  many  more  volunteers  than  I  deemed 
necessary,  extending  the  call  to  other  states  beside  Louisiana. 

"  It  will,  of  course,  be  for  the  government  to  decide  whether  the 
future  operations  in  this  quarter  will  require  the  amount  of  force  (en 
tirely  unknown)  which  is  coming  hither.  I  only  desire  to  say,  that 
this  reinforcement,'  beyond  the  eight  regiments  mentioned  above,  was 
never  asked  for  by  me,  and  that,  in  making  the  call  of  the  26th  of 
April,  I  well  knew  that,  if  the  Mexicans  fought  us  at  all,  it  would  be 
before  the  arrival  of  the  volunteers.  It  was  for  the  purpose  of  clear 
ing  the  river,  and  performing  such  further  service  as  the  government 
might  direct,  that  I  thought  it  proper  to  ask  for  reinforcements.  It  is 
extremely  doubtful  whether  the  foot  regiments  from  Texas  can  be 
raised,  and  I  shall  desire  the  governor  to  suspend  the  call  for 
them.  *  *  *  *  I  fear  that  the  volunteers  have  exhausted  the 
supply  of  tents  deposited  in  New  Orleans  for  the  use  of  this  army. 
We  are  greatly  in  want  of  them  ;  and  I  must  request  that  immediate 
measures  be  taken  to  send  direct  to  Brazos  Santiago,  say  one  thou 
sand  tents,  for  the  use  of  the  army  in  the  field.  The  tents  of  the  7th 
infantry  were  cut  up  to  make  sand-bags  during  the  recent  bombard 
ment  of  Fort  Brown. " 

The  orders  of  General  Gaines,  to  which  General  Taylor  refers  in 
this  letter,  together  with  their  consequences  to  that  officer,  form  a 
most  interesting  episode  of  the  war,  should  be  noticed  in  this 
connection. 

v2  33 


258 


GENERAL    GAINES's   OPERATIONS. 


ENERAL  GAINES,  at  the  opening 
of  the  Mexican  war,  held  command 
of  the  south-western  department  of 
the  army,  his  head-quarters  being 
at  New  Orleans.  He  watched  the 
fortunes  of  the  little  army  of  occupa 
tion  with  deep  anxiety ;  and  when 
news  arrived  of  its  being  divided 
into  two  portions,  each  of  which  was 
surrounded  by  a  vastly  superior 
force,  a  soldier's  sympathy  impelled 
him  to  attempt  its  rescue.  Soon  af 
ter,  General  Taylor  informed  him 
officially  or  his  situation,  and  that  a 
volunteer  force,  consisting  of  four 
regiments  from  Louisiana,  and  four  from  Texas  had  been  ordered 
as  reinforcements.  At  the  same  time  he  was  requested  to  aid  the 
governor  of  Louisiana  in  equipping  and  forwarding  the  troops  of  that 
state. 

On  receiving  this  information,  General  Gaines  wrote  to  the  go 
vernors  of  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Missouri, 
advising  them  to  anticipate  a  call  from  the  president  for  volunteers, 
and  to  make  preparations  to  raise  the  troops.  It  was  in  compliance 
with  this  call  that  the  large  number  of  volunteers  of  which  General 
Taylor  complains,  were  mustered  and  sent  to  the  Rio  Grande.  He 
also  appointed  several  officers  of  the  staff.  This  course  met  the  de 
cided  disapprobation  of  President  Polk ;  and  General  Gaines  was 
immediately  ordered  to  Washington  to  answer  for  his  conduct  before 
a  court-martial,  of  which  General  Brady  was  chairman.  After  a 
searching  and  impartial  trial,  the  court  reported  that  General  Gaines 
had  exceeded  and  disobeyed  his  orders ;  but  that  it  had  been  from 
an  honest  conviction  of  duty,  and  a  belief  that  his  measures  would 
meet  the  full  approbation  of  the  executive.  The  report  concludes 
with  the  following  complimentary  language  : 

"  Having  now  reported  their  finding  and  opinion,  the  court  re 
commend  to  the  favourable  consideration  of  the  president,  the  good 
and  patriotic  motives  and  the  public  zeal  by  which,  as  the  court  be 
lieve,  General  Gaines  was  actuated  in  all  these  transactions,  and 
therefore  they  recommend  that  no  further  proceedings  be  had  in  this 
opse." 

This  report  was  approved,  and  the  case  dismissed.  General 
Gaines  was  subsequently  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  northern 
department,  with  his  head- quarters  at  New  York. 


TAYLOR   TO   THE    ADJUTANT-GENERAL.         259 


General  Roger  Jones.  ^ 

We  resume  the  account  of  the  correspondence  between  Genera. 
Taylor  and  the  war  department.  The  letter  last  quoted  was  followed 
by  other  letters  of  similar  import,  from  one  of  which,  dated  June  3d, 
we  give  an  extract :  "  I  am  necessarily  detained  at  this  point,  for 
want  of  suitable  transportation  to  carry  on  offensive  operations.  There 
is  not  a  steamboat  at  my  command  proper  for  the  navigation  of  the 
Rio  Grande ;  and  without  water  transportation  I  consider  it  useless 
to  attempt  any  extensive  movement.  Measures  have  been  taken  to 
procure  boats  of  suitable  draught  and  description,  and  one  or  two 
may  be  now  expected.  *  *  *  *  I  trust  the  department  will 
see  that  I  could  not  possibly  have  anticipated  the  arrival  of  such 
heavy  reinforcements  from  Louisiana  as  are  now  here,  and  on  their 
way  hither.  Without  large  means  of  transportation,  this  force  will 
embarrass,  rather  than  facilitate  our  operations.  I  cannot  doubt  that 
the  department  has  already  given  instructions  based  upon  the  change 
in  our  position  since  my  first  call  for  volunteers." 

On  the  10th  of  the  same  month,  he  wrote  to  the  adjutant-general, 
Roger  Jones,  as  follows  : 


260         GENERAL  TAYLOR'S  LETTER. 

"  I  beg  leave  earnestly  to  invite  the  attention  of  the  department  to 
the  following  points : 

"  First :  The  great  influx  of  volunteers  at  Point  Isabel ;  Five  regi< 
ments  certainly  from  Louisiana,  numbering,  say  three  thousand  six 
hundred  men ;  two  regiments  or  battalions  from  Louisville  and  St. 
Louis,  numbering,  say  twelve  hundred  men  more ;  several  companies 
from  Alabama,  and  I  know  not  how  many  from  Texas — the  latter 
now  beginning  to  arrive.  The  volunteer  troops,  now  under  my 
orders,  amount  to  nearly  six  thousand  men.  How  far  they  may  be 
increased  without  previous  notification  to  me,  it  is  impossible  to  tell. 

"  Secondly :  The  entire  want  of  the  proper  kind  of  transportation 
to  push  my  operations  up  the  river.  The  boats  on  which  I  depended 
for  this  service  were  found  to  be  nearly  destroyed  by  worms,  and 
entirely  unfit  for  the  navigation  of  the  river.  At  my  instance,  Major 
Thomas,  on  the  18th  of  May,  required  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hunt, 
a  boat  of  the  proper  description,  and  followed  it  up  in  a  few  days  by 
a  requisition  for  another.  At  the  last  dates  from  New  Orleans,  no 
boats  had  been  procured.  Captain  Sanders,  of  the  engineers,  was 
despatched  by  me  to  New  Orleans,  to  assist  in  procuring  suitable 
boats  but  I  have  yet  received  no  report  from  him. 

"As  I  have  previously  reported,  my  operations  are  completely 
paralyzed,  by  the  want  of  suitable  steamboats  to  navigate  the  Rio 
Grande.  Since  the  18th  of  May,  the  army  has  lain  in  camp  near  this 
place,  continually  receiving  heavy  reinforcements  of  men,  but  no 
facility  for  water  transport,  without  which,  additional  numbers  are 
but  an  embarrassment. 

"  I  desire  to  place  myself  right  in  this  matter,  and  to  let  the  de 
partment  see  that  the  inactivity  of  the  army  results  from  no  neglect 
of  mine.  I  must  express  my  astonishment  that  such  large  reinforce 
ments  have  been  sent  forward  to  join  the  army  without  being  accom 
panied  by  the  means  of  transportation,  both  by  land  and  water,  to 
render  them  efficient.  As  matters  now  stand,  whatever  may  be  the 
expectations  of  the  department,  I  cannot  move  from  this  place  ;  and 
unless  Captain  Sanders  shall  succeed  in  procuring  boats,  I  can  give 
no  assurance  in  regard  to  future  operations." 

Notwithstanding  the  unmistakable  language  of  this  extract,  we  find 
the  general  compelled  to  write  as  follows,  on  the  17th  of  June. 

"No  steamboats  have  been  sent  out  from  New  Orleans  for  the 
navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  information 
on  that  point,  or  respecting  the  views  of  the  government,  I  am  alto 
gether  in  the  dark  as  to  our  future  operations.  I  must  think  that 
orders  have  been  given,  by  superior  authority,  to  suspend  the  for 
warding  of  means  of  transportation  from  New  Orleans.  I  cannot 


OCCUPATION    OF    REYNOSA. 


261 


General  Taylor  writing  to  the  War  Department. 

otherwise  account  for  the  extraordinary  delay  shown  by  the  quarter 
master's  department  in  that  city.  Even  the  mails,  containing,  pro 
bably,  important  despatches  from  the  government,  are  not  expedited. 

"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wilson  has  occupied  Reynosa  without  oppo 
sition.  What  remains  of  the  Mexican  army,  is  understood,  to  be 
still  at  Linares,  and  has  suffered  from  disease Volunteer  regi 
ments  have  arrived  from  Louisville  and  St.  Louis,  making  with  those 
from  Louisiana,  eight  strong  and  organized  battalions,  mustering  over 
five  thousand  men. 

"  In  addition,  we  have  seven  companies  of  Alabama  volunteers, 
and  twelve  or  fifteen  companies  from  Texas.  Others  from  Texas  are 
continually  arriving.  A  portion  of  these  volunteers  have  been  lying 
in  camp  at  this  place  for  nearly  a  month,  completely  paralyzed  by  the 
want  of  transportation.  Exposed  as  they  are,  in  this  climate,  to  dis 
eases  of  the  camp,  and  without  any  prospect,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  of 
being  usefully  employed,  I  must  recommend  that  they  be  allowed  to 
return  to  their  homes." 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1846,  Secretary  Marcy  addressed  a  confidential 
letter  to  the  general,,  from  which  we  give  the  following  extracts : 

"  The  war  is  only  carried  on  to  obtain  justice  ;  and  the  sooner  that 
can  be  obtained,  and  with  the  least  expenditure  of  blood  and  money, 
the  better.  One  of  the  evils  of  war  is  the  interruption  of  diplomatic 


262       LETTER  OF  SECRETARY  MARCY. 

communications  between  the  respective  authorities,  and  the  consequent 
ignorance  under  which  each  may  lie  in  relation  to  the  views  of  the 
other.  The  natural  substitute  of  these  interrupted  diplomatic  com 
munications  is  the  military  intercourse,  which  the  usages  of  war  allow 
between  contending  armies  in  the  field,  and  in  which  commanding 
generals  can  do  much  towards  reopening  negotiations,  and  smoothing 
the  wray  to  a  return  of  peace. 

"  The  president  has  seen  with  much  approbation  the  civility  and 
kindness  with  which  you  have  treated  your  prisoners,  and  all  the 
inhabitants  with  whom  you  have  come  in  contact.  He  wishes  that 
course  of  conduct  continued,  and  all  opportunities  taken  to  conci 
liate  the  inhabitants,  and  let  them  see  that  peace  was  within  their 
reach  the  moment  their  rulers  will  consent  to  do  us  justice.  The 
inhabitants  should  be  encouraged  to  remain  in  their  towns  and  vil 
lages,  and  these  sentiments  be  carefully  made  known  to  them.  The 
same  things  may  be  said  to  officers  made  prisoners,  or  who  may  visit 
your  head-quarters  according  to  the  usages  of  war ;  and  it  is  the  wish 
of  the  president  that  such  visits  be  encouraged,  and  also  that  you 
take  occasions  to  send  officers  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  enemy,  for 
military  purposes,  real  or  ostensible,  which  are  of  ordinary  occurrence 
between  armies,  and  in  which  opportunity  may  be  taken  to  speak  of 
the  war  itself  as  only  carried  on  to  obtain  justice,  and  that  we  had 
much  rather  procure  that  by  negotiation  than  by  fighting.  Of  course 
authority  to  speak  for  your  government  will  be  disavowed,  but  a 
knowledge  of  its  wishes  will  be  averred,  and  a  readiness  will  be  ex 
pressed  to  communicate  to  your  government  the  wishes  of  the  Mexi 
can  government  to  negotiate  for  honourable  peace  whenever  such 
shall  be  their  wish,  and  with  the  assurance  that  such  overtures  will 
be  met  in  a  corresponding  spirit  by  your  government.  A  discreet 
officer,  who  understands  Spanish,  and  who  can  be  employed,  in  the 
intercourse  so  usual  between  armies,  can  be  your  confidential  agent 
on  such  occasions,  and  can  mask  his  real  under  his  ostensible  object 
of  a  military  interview. 

"You  will  also  readily  comprehend  that,  in  a  country  so  divided 
into  races,  classes,  and  parties  as  Mexico  is,  and  with  so  many  local 
divisions  among  departments,  and  personal  divisions  among  indi 
viduals,  there  must  be  great  room  for  operating  on  the  minds  and 
feelings  of  large  portions  of  the  inhabitants,  and  inducing  them  to 
wish  success  to  an  invasion  which  has  no  desire  to  injure  their 
country,  and  which  in  overthrowing  their  oppressors,  may  benefit 
themselves.  Between  the  Spaniards,  who  monopolize  the  wealth 
and  power  of  the  country,  and  the  mixed  Indian  race,  who  bear 
its  burdens,  there  must  be  jealousy  and  animosity.  The  same 


MARCY'S  LETTER  TO  TAYLOR. 


265 


Hon.  W.  L.  Marcy,  Secretary  of  War. 

feelings  must  exist  between  the  lower  and  the  higher  orders  of  the 
clergy,  the  latter  of  whom  have  the  dignities  and  the  revenues,  while 
the  former  have  poverty  and  labour.  In  fact,  the  curates  were  the 
chief  authors  of  the  revolution  which  separated  Mexico  from  Spain, 
and  their  relative  condition  to  their  superiors  is  not  much  benefited 
by  it." 

In  this  letter,  the  secretary  hinted  at  other  operations  than  those 
in  which  Taylor  was  then  engaged,  and  suggested  Tampico  or  Vera 
Cruz  as  their  base ;  the  letter  concludes  as  follows : 

"  Upon  these  important  points,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  in 
my  letter  of  the  8th  of  June,  your  opinions  and  views  are  desired  at 
the  earliest  period  your  duties  will  permit  you  to  give  them.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  department  confidently  relies  on  you  to  press  forward 
your  operations  vigorously  to  the  extent  of  your  means,  so  as  to  oc 
cupy  the  important  points  within  your  reach  on  the  Rio  Grande-  and 


264  TAYLOR'S  ANSWER. 

in  the  interior.  It  is  presumed  that  Monterey,  Chihuahua,  and  other 
places  in  your  direction,  will  be  taken  and  held.  If  in  your  power 
to  give  the  information,  the  department  desires  to  be  informed  of 
the  distance  from  Chihuahua  to  Guaymas,  on  the  Gulf  of  California  ; 
whether  there  be  a  road  over  which  ordnance  and  baggage-wagons 
could  be  taken,  and  whether  it  be  practicable  for  an  army  to  march 
from  the  former  to  the  latter  place,  and  what  time  would  probably 
be  required  for  mounted  men,  and  what  time  for  infantry  or  artillery 
to  do  so.  This  information  is  desired,  before  the  department  can 
be  prepared  to  decide  upon  the  propriety  of  sending  forward  such 
an  expedition." 

On  the  1st  of  August,  the  general  answered  this  letter,  by  one  (from 
Matamoras)  from  which  we  give  the  following  extracts : 

"  First.  As  to  the  intercourse  with  the  enemy,  and  means  of  ob 
taining  information  with  regard  to  his  movements,  &c.,  I  fear  that  no 
very  satisfactory  results  will  be  obtained  in  the  way  proposed.  The 
Mexican  generals  and  other  officers  have  exhibited,  since  the  com 
mencement  of  hostilities,  a  determination  to  hold  with  us  as  little 
intercourse  as  possible.  A  most  rigid  non-intercourse  has  been  held 
throughout ;  and  since  the  17th  of  June,  no  communication  whatever 
has  passed  between  the  head-quarters  of  the  two  armies.  I  shall  not 
fail  to  improve  such  occasions,  when  they  present  themselves  in  the 
manner  pointed  out  by  the  secretary.  Since  crossing  the  Rio  Grande, 
it  has  been  my  constant  aim  to  conciliate  the  people  of  the  country ; 
and  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  believing  that  much  has  been  done 
towards  that  object,  not  only  here,  but  at  Reynosa,  Camargo,  and  other 
towns  higher  up  the  river.  The  only  obstacle  I  encounter,  in  carry 
ing  out  this  desirable  policy,  arises  from  the  employment  of  volunteer 
troops.  Some  excesses  have  been  committed  by  them  upon  the 
people  and  their  property,  and  more,  I  fear,  are  to  be  apprehended. 
With  every  exertion,  it  is  impossible  effectually  to  control  these  troops, 
unaccustomed  as  they  are  to  the  discipline  of  camps,  and  losing,  in 
bodies,  the  restraining  sense  of  individual  responsibility.  With  in 
creased  length  of  service,  these  evils,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  diminished. 

"  Second.  In  regard  to  availing  ourselves  of  internal  divisions  and 
discord  among  the  Mexicans,  it  is  hardly  time  yet  to  say  how  far  this 
may  be  relied  upon  as  an  element  of  success.  I  have  good  reason 
to  believe  that  the  country  lying  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Sierra  Madre,  is  disposed  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  central  govern 
ment,  and  will  perhaps  do  so,  as  soon  as  it  finds  a  strong  American 
force  between  it  and  the  capital.  I  shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  en 
courage  this  movement,  of  which  I  received  indications  from  many 
quarters,  and  shall  comply  fully  with  the  instructions  of  the  secretary 


TAYLOR    MADE    MAJOR-GENERAL.  265 

on  that  point.  *******»!  have  already  had  occasion  to  repre 
sent  to  the  department,  that  the  volunteer  force  ordered  to  report  to 
me  here,  is  much  greater  than  I  can  possibly  employ,  at  any  rate,  in 
the  first  instance ;  the  influx  of  twelve  month's  volunteers  has  even 
impeded  my  forward  movement,  by  engrossing  all  the  resources  of 
the  quartermaster's  department  to  land  them,  and  transport  them  to 
healthy  positions.  This  circumstance,  in  connexion  with  the  possi 
bility  of  an  expedition  against ,  leads  me  to  regret  that  one  divi 
sion  of  the  volunteers  had  not  been  encamped — say  at  Pass  Chris 
tian — where  it  could  have  been  instructed  until  its  services  were 
required  in  the  field. 

"  These  embarrassments,  however,  are  now  mostly  overcome  ;  the 
regular  force  is  nearly  all  at  Camargo ;  and  all  the  arrangements  are 
made  to  throw  forward  the  volunteers  to  the  same  point.  The  pre 
sident  may  be  assured,  that  no  one  laments  more  than  I  do  the  inevi 
table  difficulties  and  delays  that  have  attended  our  operations  here, 
and  that  no  exertion  of  mine  has  been  or  will  be  wanting,  to  press 
forward  the  campaign  with  all  possible  vigour.  But  I  deem  it  indis 
pensable  to  take  such  amount  of  force,  and  observe  such  precautions 
as  not  to  leave  success  a  matter  of  doubt." 

Such  is  the  more  important  part  of  the  interesting  correspondence 
between  General  Taylor  and  the  war  department.  Without  it,  a  his 
tory  of  the  Mexican  war  would  be  incomplete,  since  it  gives  reasons 
and  causes  for  many  things  otherwise  inexplicable.  We  here  see  the 
commander  in  a  new  position,  surrounded  with  uncontrollable  diffi 
culties,  but  resolutely  maintaining  what  he  believes  right,  and  un 
willing  to  bear  any  blame  for  matters  for  which  he  is  not  accountable. 
At  the  same  time,  the  views  of  government  are  unfolded,  as  well 
as  the  avowed  purpose  for  which  the  war  was  carried  on. 

During  the  time  covered  by  this  correspondence,  military  events 
of  some  interest  had  been  transpiring  among  portions  of  the  army. 
Congress,  on  receiving  news  of  General  Taylor's  victory,  appointed 
him  a  major-general  by  brevet ;  and  in  less  than  a  month  after, 
[June  18th,]  commissioned  him  full  major-general.  He  thus  became 
the  second  officer  in  rank  of  the  American  army. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wilson,  with  four  compa 
nies  of  the  first  infantry,  Price's  company  of  rangers,  and  a  section 
of  Bragg's  battery,  under  Lieutenant  Thomas,  was  sent  to  take  pos 
session  of  Reynosa,  which  he  did  without  meeting  with  any  opposi 
tion.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  Rio  Grande,  sixty  miles  above 
Matamoras.  On  the  day  following,  Governor  Henderson  arrived  from 
Texas,  with  a  large  command  of  volunteers.  On  the  14th  of  July, 
Camargo  was  occupied  without  resistance  by  a  detachment  of  two 
Z  34 


266 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CAMARGO. 


Camargo,  looking  North. 

companies  of  the  7th  infantry,  under  Captain  Miles.  Two  weeks 
after,  [July  31,]  Captain  Vinton,  with  a  small  force,  occupied  Mier 
without  resistance.  This  was  followed  by  the  capture  of  China,  by 
McCulloch's  Texas  rangers.  On  the  same  day,  General  Taylor,  with 
the  main  body  of  the  army,  left  Matamoras  for  Camargo,  leaving  the 
command  of  the  former  place  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Clark,  who 
had  two  companies  of  artillery,  and  a  regiment  of  Ohio  volunteers 
under  Colonel  Curtis. 

"  Camargo,"  says  Captain  Henry,  "  is  a  dilapidated  town,  situated 
upon  the  river  San  Juan,  a  few  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Rio 
Grande.  It  boasts,  like  all  Mexican  towns,  of  a  grand  plaza  and  a 
cathedral,  a  few  low  stone  buildings,  of  very  thick  walls  and  flat  roofs, 
a  great  many  miserable  c  jackals,'  not  a  few  donkeys,  and  any  number 
of  dogs  and  fighting  chickens.  The  7th  infantry,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Miles,  was  encamped  in  the  plaza.  The  town  was  com 
pletely  inundated  in  June  last,  and  the  population  driven  out.  It 
may  once  have  boasted  of  two  thousand  inhabitants,  but  there  were 
not  more  than  half  that  number  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  our  army. 
The  cathedral  is  of  no  particular  architectural  beauty;  it  has  a  cupola 
and  two  bells.  Nearly  every  building  in  the  place  was  occupied  in 
some  manner  by  the  government." 

Reid,  in  his  "  Texas  Rangers,"  mentions  the  inundation  of  Ca 
margo.  "  On  ascending  the  bank,  we  were  struck  with  the  desola 
tion  and  ruin  which  had  spread  itself  on  every  side.  The  late  flood, 
which  had  been  the  cause  of  it,  came  on  rapidly  in  the  night,  while 


INUNDATION    OF    CAMARGO. 


267 


Grand  Plaza,  Camargo. 

the  inhabitants  were  wrapped  in  their  peaceful  slumbers  ;  and  many 
had  not  the  least  intimation  of  it  until  the  waters  had  actually  floated 
them  out  of  their  beds.  From  a  description  which  we  received  from 
a  Mexican  who  was  here  at  the  time,  it  must  have  been  heart-rend 
ing  in  the  extreme.  Mothers  were  seen  wading,  waist  deep,  carrying 
their  children  in  their  arms,  hurrying  to  places  of  safety,  filling  the  air 
with  shrieks  of  dismay.  The  men  were  engaged  saving  the  children, 
many  of  whom  were  clinging  to  floating  materials,  and  carrying  them 
to  the  tops  of  the  houses  for  safety,  which  had  become  the  only  resort 
among  the  poorer  classes,  who  lived  in  huts  and  slept  on  the  ground 
floor,  while  those  who  occupied  the  two-story  houses  were  in  greater 
peril ;  for  the  walls,  becoming  saturated,  gave  way  and  fell  in  with 
a  crash,  frequently  drowning  a  whole  family,  while  others  were  car 
ried  away  by  the  flood,  or  drowned  in  their  beds*  There  were  many 
lives  lost ;  and  the  destruction  of  property  was  very  great,  about  two 
hundred  houses  having  been  ruined.  The  town  was  once  very  beau 
tiful;  and,  from  the  ruined  walls,  we  saw  the  houses  must  have  been 
quite  pretty.  It  contains  three  plazas,  in  the  middle  one  of  which 
are  situated  the  finest  buildings,  and  where  still  stands  a  neat  little 
church." 

On  the  12th  of  August,  a  detachment  of  Captain  Gillespie's  rangers, 
another  of  Captain  McCulloch's,  with  Captain  James  Duncan,  of  the 
3d  artillery,  and  Lieutenant  Wood,  of  the  engineer  corps,  left  Ca- 


268 


SURRENDER   OF    SERALVO. 


margo,  crossed  the  San  Juan,  and  took  the  road  to  Mier.  Early  on 
the  14th,  they  reached  the  town  of  Seralvo,  seventy-five  miles  from 
Camargo.  After  placing  sentinels  at  the  avenues,  the  party  entered 
the  town,  and  advanced  as  far  as  the  plaza.  Captain  Duncan  then 
rode  to  the  alcalde's  house,  and  demanded  a  surrender,  which  was 
immediately  made.  They  then  advanced  some  distance  into  the 
country,  and  returned  to  Camargo  on  the  17th. 

On  receiving  Captain  Duncan's  report,  General  Taylor  ordered  the 
1st  brigade  of  the  2d  (Worth's)  division  to  cross  the  river,  [August 
19,]  and  take  up  its  march  for  the  interior.  On  the  21st,  Major- 
General  Butler  reached  camp,  in  company  with  Generals  Quitman 
and  Hamer — all  of  the  volunteers.  The  2d  dragoons,  under  Gene 
ral  Twiggs,  together  with  the  light  artillery  batteries  of  Captains 
Ridgely  and  Taylor  also  arrived.  The  2d  brigade  of  Worth's  divi 
sion,  with  two  companies  of  infantry,  crossed  the  San  Juan  on  the 
25th,  and  marched  for  Seralvo.  Other  portions  of  the  army  followed 
shortly  after,  and  in  the  early  part  of  September,  General  Taylor  was 
moving  forward  with  all  available  rapidity  for  the  city  of  Monterey. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


MARCH    TO    MONTEREY. 


HE  victories  of  General  Tay 
lor  had  caused  some  import 
ant  changes  in  Mexican  po 
licy.  Arista  was  ordered  to 
the  capital  under  arrest,  and 
most  of  the  officers  who  had 
served  under  him  were  either 
court-martialed  or  removed. 
The  popularity  of  Paredes 
daily  decreased,  and  several 
parties  were  in  open  array 
against  him.  The  country 
was  in  a  tumult  of  excitement,, 
anxious  for  the  utter  exter 
mination  of  the  invaders, 
but  distracted  by  factions,  and 
ignorant  of  the  means  for  promoting  its  object. .  But  amid  this  wreck 
of  former  prospects,  and  sickening  apprehension  as  to  the  future,  one 
z2  (269) 


270  AMPUDIA'S  PROCLAMATION. 

man  managed  to  maintain  his  popularity.  This  was  Ampudia  ;  and 
he  effected  his  purpose  by  intrigue  and  misrepresentation.  Imme 
diately  after  the  action  of  the  9th,  while  Matamoras  yet  rung  with 
the  yells  of  maddened  disappointment,  he  busied  himself  with  spread 
ing  reports  that  the  main  cause  of  disaster  was  Arista's  cowardice ; 
and  that  had  the  command  of  the  army  been  intrusted  to  him,  the 
Americans  would  have  been  annihilated.  Among  a  people  like  the 
Mexicans,  untried  valour,  garnished  with  pompous  declarations,  can 
generally  prevail  against  misfortune,  whether  culpable  or  otherwise ; 
and  accordingly,  the  officer  who  had  made  one  of  the  most  vigorous 
stands  ever  effected  by  the  Mexicans,  was  disgraced ;  while  his 
cowardly  and  fawning  accuser  received  all  the  honours  of  conducting 
a  battle  which  he  did  not  even  share. 

Monterey,  the  great  interior  city  of  Northern  Mexico,  was  the 
point  to  which  the  American  general  was  now  directing  his  march. 
The  defence  of  this  important  place  was  intrusted  to  General  Am 
pudia.  The  garrison  was  large,  and  the  works  of  sufficient  strength 
to  be  considered  impregnable.  On  the  31st  of  August,  he  issued  a 
proclamation,  forbidding  any  "  contraband  trade"  with  the  Ameri 
cans,  on  penalty  of  death.  The  paper  opens  as  follows : 

"Considering  that  the  hour  has  arrived  when  energetic  measures 
and  precautionary  dispositions  should  be  taken  to  liberate  the  de 
partments  of  the  east  from  the  rapacity  of  the  Anglo-Americans,  and 
for  attending  to  the  rights  of  the  people  and  the  usages  of  war,  every 
person  who  may  prove  a  traitor  to  his  country,  or  a  spy  of  the  enemy, 
shall  suffer  death  without  any  remission  of  sentence  ;  and  taking  into 
consideration  that  it  is  my  bounden  duty  to  put  an  end  to  the  evils 
which  have  been  caused  by  the  contraband  trade  that  has  been  indis 
criminately  carried  on  by  the  usurpers  of  our  sacred  territory,  and 
using  the  faculties  which  the  laws  have  empowered  me  with,  I  de 
clare  as  follows."  Here  follows  a  specification  of  crimes,  and  the 
death  penalty  attached  to  each.  The  proclamation  had  considerable 
effect  on  the  Mexican  traders,  so  that  after  its  circulation  the  Ame 
rican  army  experienced  the  utmost  difficulty  in  obtaining  supplies. 

On  the  same  day  another  proclamation  was  issued  by  Ampudia, 
of  which  we  give  the  principal  part : 

"  The  army  of  the  United  States  having  invaded  the  Mexican  ter 
ritory,  and  penetrated,  with  the  greatest  insolence,  into  the  heart  of 
this  department,  threatens  to  occupy  its  capital ;  and  without  calcu 
lating  the  end  of  his  invasion,  I  am  compelled  to  provide  for  the 
emergency  and  augment  successively  our  defences,  placing  in  action 
all  the  elements  we  can  command.  The  importance  of  this  place, 
and  my  responsibility  are  apparent.  The  enemy  has  dared  to  pre- 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  MARCHING. 


271 


sent  himself  at  our  doors,  and  with  his  advance  has  insulted  and  pro 
voked  '  us  without  motive  or  any  reason  to  justify  his  ignoble  and 
treacherous  proceedings.  I  must  then  avoid  and  prevent  the  evil 
which  approaches,  for  it  is  thus  that  honour  and  duty  advise.  Let 
us  go  to  repel  force  with  force,  as  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
dictates.  But  I  ought  first  to  adopt  all  the  means  capable  of  giving 
order  to  my  operations ;  and  for  this  object,  using  the  ample  autho 
rity  which  the  supreme  government  has  conceded  to  me,  and  with 
which  in  my  character  as  general-in-chief,  it  has  invested  me  for  such 
cases,  I  publish  the  following  declaration : 

"  It  is  declared  that  this  place  is  in  a  state  of  siege 
"  The  civil  authorities  and  public  functionaries,  during  the  siege 
are  subordinate  to  the  military  in  every  thing  relating  to  the  defence 
and  service  of  the  place. 

"  All  citizens  shall  assist  with  their  arms  in  the  national  defence, 
in  the  manner,  time,  and  form,  which  the  authorities  may  determine  ; 
and  to  this  end  the  citizens  shall  yield  to  the  advice  and  orders  of 
their  respective  military  commanders." 

N  the  llth  of  September,  the  American  camp  at 
Seralvo  was  busy  with  preparations  for  the  en 
suing  march  to  Monterey.  In  the  evening  the 
order  of  march  was  read  to  the  companies. 
The  pioneers  were  united  into  one  party,  under 
command  of  Captain  Craig,  and  covered  by 
McCulloch's  rangers,  and  a  squadron  of  dra 
goons.  A  day  intervened  between  the  march 
of  each  division,  the  13th  being  appointed  for  the 
movement  of  the  first  one.  Eight  days'  rations 
and  forty  rounds  of  ammunition  were  given  to 
each  soldier,  and  ample  arrangements  made  to 
provide  for  casualties  and  other  events  incident 
to  a  military  movement.  The  sick  and  wounded 
were  left  behind,  together  with  a  garrison  of 
two  companies  from  the  Mississippi  regiment. 
Early  on  the  12th  of  September,  the  advance  party  marched  for 
Marin.  It  was  composed  of  McCulloch's  rangers,  Captain  Graham's 
squadron  of  dragoons,  and  eighty  pioneers — the  whole  commanded 
by  Captain  Craig.  After  proceeding  about  thirteen  miles,  they 
encamped  for  the  night,  at  a  small  stream,  whose  cool,  clear  water 
formed  a  delicious  relief  after  marching  under  a  burning  sun.  At 
one  o'clock  of  the  following  day,  the  party  reached  Papagayo.  Here 
the  enemy  apoeared  in  considerable  force,  and  Captain  Craig,  feeling 


•272 


ULLOCHS    SKIRMISHES. 


Captain  McCulIochw 

his  party  inadequate  to  resist  an  attack,  sent  a  despatch  to  hurry  on 
the  first  division. 

On  the  following  day,  Captain  McCulloch,  with  forty  rangers,  was 
sent  on  a  scouting  expedition  towards  the  town  of  Ramas.  On  the 
road,  he  had  occasional  skirmishes  with  parties  of  the  enemy,  and 
finally  overtook  a  party  of  two  hundred,  at  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  town.  A  spirited  firing  commenced  on  both  sides,  when 
McCulloch,  observing  some  wavering  among  the  enemy,  charged 
them  at  full  speed.  Both  parties  passed  directly  through  the  town, 
and  the  chase  continued  for  six  miles.  One  of  the  enemy  was  killed, 
one  wounded,  and  one  captured.  The  rangers  then  cautiously  re 
traced  their  steps,  and  rejoined  the  advance,  where  they  found  Gene 
ral  Taylor  with  the  first  division,  he  having  effected  a  forced  march 
during  the  previous  twenty-four  hours. 

The  march  of  the  second  division  from  Seralvo  to  Monterey,  is 
graphically  described  by  Reid.  With  some  few  alterations,  his 
account  is  inserted. 

"  Worth's  division  had  just  placed  their  personal  clothing  and 


MARCH   TO    MONTEREY.  273 

accoutrements  in  convenient  condition  for  packing,  yesterday  even 
ing,  when  they  were  called  out  for  inspection — orderlies,  servants, 
and  all,  leaving  their  tents  unattended.  Just  as  General  Worth 
appeared  on  the  field,  a  heavy  rain,  accompanied  with  wind,  com 
menced,  and  prostrating  many  of  the  tents,  soaked  every  thing  in 
camp.  At  two  o'clock  this  morning,  [September  14]  the  reveille 
beat,  and  the  poor  fellows,  with  their  clothes  still  wet,  prepared  to 
march.  The  tents  were  struck  and  packed,  wagons  were  brought 
up  to  receive  the  tent  poles,  camp  kettles,  &c.,  private  mules  and 
pack-horses  were  harnessed,  camp  women,  with  children  at  the 
breast,  and  of  all  sizes,  packed  themselves  and  little  ones  on  Mexi 
can  mules  and  ponies,  and  by  daylight  the  column  was  in  motion. 
The  rear  guard  did  not  get  off  until  eleven  o'clock.  The  day  has 
been  exceedingly  warm.  We  have  marched  twelve  miles  over  a 
country  different  in  every  respect  from  any  I  have  ever  before  seen. 
The  shrubbery  and  plants  are  entirely  new  to  me,  with  the  exception 
of  the  cactus,  which  grows  throughout  Mexico  in  a  hundred  varieties. 
The  wild  olive,  and  a  white,  round-leafed  shrub,  with  pink  blossoms, 
cover  the  mountains  and  table-lands.  We  have  crossed  five  or  six 
clear  cool  streams  to-day,  and  are  now  encamped  upon  the  brow  of  a 
ravine,  down  which  runs  a  spring  brook. 

"  We  are  now  (morning  of  the  15th)  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Marin.  We  passed  a  few  moments  since  a  rancho  which  had  just 
been  deserted  in  great  haste — the  cows,  goats,  and  chickens  having 
been  left  behind.  We  left  camp  this  morning  at  four  o'clock.  Our 
way  has  led  along  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  which  rises  on  our  right 
to  a  height  of  twenty-five  hundred  to  three  thousand  feet.  We  like 
wise  have  a  mountain  on  our  left,  of  nearly  the  same  height.  These 
two  mountains  converge  before  us,  and  descend  at  the  same  time  to 
about  the  level  of  the  table  lands  upon  which  we  now  are.  But  far 
in  the  distance  before  us  rises  the  Sierra  Madre,  higher  and  more 
majestic  than  any  we  have  before  seen.  Our  march  to-day  has  been 
over  a  very  bad  road — up  hill  and  down — over  rocks  and  pebbles, 
ravines  and  mines.  The  whole  country  over  which  we  have  to-day 
travelled  is  covered  with  aged  '  Spanish  bayonet'  trees — a  species  of 
palm,  each  leaf  of  which  is  pointed  with  a  sharp  thorn.  Some  of 
these  trees  are  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  diameter,  and 
must  be  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  years  old.  As 
we  reached  this  camping  place,  an  express  came  in  from  General 
Taylor,  directing  this  division  to  join  him  at  Marin  by  a  forced  march. 
We  are  therefore  bivouacked  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning. 
It  seems  that  the  Mexicans  are  assembled  in  force  between  here  and 
Monterey,  and  it  is  rumoured  that  Santa  Anna  himself  is  in  the  field. 

35 


274  AMERICANS   MARCH   TO    MARIN. 

There  is  no  doubt  about  there  being  a  strong  force  at  Monterey,  and 
General  Taylor  therefore  directs  that  the  first  and  second  divisions 

shall  join  to-morrow,  and  march  before  the  town General 

Worth  keeps  his  division  always  in  readiness,  so  that  he  could  hardly 
be  surprised  by  night  or  day.  Last  night  a  sort  of  stampede  occurred 
in  camp,  and  we  shall  probably  have  another  to-night.  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  if  an  alarm  were  to  take  place  to-night,  a  most 
singular  scene  would  follow.  We  are  bivouacked  in  a  thicket  of 
trees,  or  large  shrubs,  all  of  which  have  thorns.  To  walk  through 
them  without  stooping  and  dodging  about  to  avoid  the  thorns  is  im 
possible.  Horses  and  mules  are  tied  by  long  lassoes  in  every  direc 
tion.  The  whole  thicket,  as  well  as  the  road  for  half  a  mile,  is  filled 
with  men  stretched  out  on  blankets,  chatting  about  the  probabilities 
of  a  fight.  *  *  *  *  General  Taylor  arrives  at  Marin  to-night,  and  will 
there  consolidate  his  little  army." 

Before  sunrise  on  the  15th  of  December,  the  army  commenced  its 
march  for  Marin.  At  ten  o'clock  the  advance  reached  a  hill  over 
looking  the  town,  from  whence  could  be  seen  a  large  body  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry,  ranged  in  the  principal  street.  As  the  Americans 
numbered  but  twenty-five  men,  their  captain,  McCulloch,  ordered  a 
halt,  and  the  men  scattered 'themselves  along  the  brow  of  the  hill,  in 
order  to  avoid  any  shot  which  the  enemy  might  throw  from  the  town. 
The  place  afforded  every  opportunity  for  the  concealment  of  troops, 
the  great  plaza  being  hidden  from  sight  by  the  church  and  adjoining 
buildings.  After  waiting  for  some  time,  the  captain  observed  the 
lancers  moving  slowly  ofF  towards  Monterey,  and  soon  after  his  com 
mand  took  undisputed  possession  of  the  town. 

Marin  is  situated  on  elevated  table-land,  from  which  mountains 
soar  up  to  a  great  height.  It  contains  a  church  of  white  stone,  and 
some  handsome  buildings.  The  former  is  surrounded  with  turrets 
and  a  steeple.  A  small  stream  of  water  runs  through  the  south  side 
of  the  town,  but  the  inhabitants  are  supplied  mostly  by  deep  wells, 
in  which  the  water  is  constantly  cool  and  clear.  The  scenery  is  per 
haps  equal  to  that  of  any  part  of  Mexico.  "When  within  about  a 
mile  of  Marin,"  says  Reid,  "  the  scenery  that  presented  itself  was 
magnificent  in  the  extreme.  On  our  right  rose  the  tall  peaks  of  the 
Sierra  Alvo,  about  three  thousand  feet  high,  running  nearly  east  and 
west,  while  before  us  were  the  towering  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Madre, 
ranging  north  and  south,  of  every  shape,  forming  battlements,  lean 
ing  towers,  obelisks,  and  steeples,  which  seemed  almost  to  pierce 
the  heavens.  Again,  on  our  left,  another  chain  of  mountains  reared 
their  lofty  summits  towards  the  blue  sky,  the  whole  composing  as  it 
were  a  semi-circle,  and  presenting  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  surpassing 


TAYLOR  AT  WALNUT  SPRINGS. 


277 


beauty,  which  filled  one  with  involuntary  awe  and  admiration,  while 
the  soul  'became  enwrapped  and  lost  in  contemplating  the  masterly 
works  of  nature." 

On  the  18th,  the  army  reached  the  town  of  San  Francisco,  about 
eighty  miles  from  Monterey ;  and  on  the  next  day  arrived  at  the 
Walnut  Springs,  three  miles  from  that  city.  Here  General  Taylor 
halted  and  prepared  for  one  of  the  most  remarkable  sieges  which  it 
has  ever  fallen  to  the  lot  of  a  historian  to  record. 


A  Camp.  Kitchen. 


2A 


Monterey. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


STORMING    OF    FEDERATION    AND    INDEPENDENCE    HILLS. 


EFORE  describing  General  Taylor's  ope 
rations  before  Monterey,  it  seems  proper 
to  give  a  description  of  the  town  and  its 
defences. 

Monterey  (king's  mountain)  is  pleasantly  sit 
uated  at  the  commencement  of  the  Sierra  Madre, 
one  of  the  boldest  ranges  of  mountain  scenery  in 
Mexico.     It  is  distant  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  Camargo,  and  perhaps  eight  hundred  from 
the   city  of  Mexico.     The   Arroyo   San  Juan,  a 
branch  of  the  river  of  that  name,  runs  below  the 
city ;  while  on  the  opposite  side  is  an  extensive  plain,  covered  with 
fields  of  maize  and  sugar-cane,  and  groves  of  apple,  peach,  orange, 
and  citron  trees.  All  the  roads  from  the  Rio  Grande  meet  at  this  place, 
(278) 


DESCRIPTION   OF    MONTEREY.  279 

and  after  passing  through  the  city  unite  in  one  which  winds  through  a 
gorge  tbwards  SaltiUo.  North  of  the  town  is  a  ravine,  running  east 
and  west  for  nearly  a  mile.  The  houses  of  Monterey  are  square  in 
shape,  generally  two  stories  high,  and  constructed  of  a  white  stone 
very  difficult  to  split.  The  walls  are  of  great  thickness,  but  on  ac 
count  of  age  some  of  the  buildings  are  in  a  crumbling  condition ;  and 
the  city  itself  presents  that  sombre,  venerable  appearance,  which  is 
the  invariable  accompaniment  of  Moorish  architecture.  The  plaza 
is  large  and  beautiful,  being  inclosed  in  compact  rows  of  houses,  in 
habited  by  merchants  and  the  wealthy,  independent  citizens.  Re 
ceding  from  this,  the  houses  separate  from  each  other,  and  diminish 
in  size  until  towards  the  walls,  where  the  whole  presents  the  appear 
ance  of  a  widely  scattered  village.  This  rural  region  is  interspersed 
with  gardens  and  extensive  fields,  while  long  romantic  looking  lanes 
connect  it  with  the  city  proper.  This  alternation  of  town  and 
country  affords  agreeable  recreation  for  the  inhabitants,  and  renders 
Monterey  one  of  the  most  healthy  places  in  Mexico. 

The  principal  street  (calle  de  Monterey)  runs  from  the  Bishop's 
Palace,  through  the  middle  of  the  city,  to  the  plaza  of  which  it  forms 
the  south-west  side.  On  this  street  is  situated  the  magnificent  coun 
try  seat  of  General  Arista — a  beautiful  white  building,  having  the 
columns  and  cornices  adorned  with  red.  The  halls  and  rooms  are 
spacious,  with  high  ceilings.  In  the  general's  former  residence  there, 
the  garden  was  lined  with  groves  of  orange  trees,  which  bordered 
flower-beds  separated  by  beautiful  flower-walks — while  on  each  side 
were  baths  of  running  water,  with  various  little  ornaments  placed 
here  and  there,  making  the  whole  a  most  delightful  spot  for  recrea 
tion.  The  business  portion  of  the  city  commences  at  the  Plaza  de 
Carne,  on  the  north-east  side  of  which  is  another  fine  street.  On  this 
is  situated  an  academy  and  other  buildings.  The  main  Plaza  is  a 
large  square  having  the  streets  on  each  side  well  paved.  Each  of 
the  houses  surrounding  it  has  a  garden  inclosed  by  high  stone 
walls,  and  filled  with  orange  trees,  vines,  and  other  tropical 
fruits.  The  cathedral  is  a  vast  pile,  irregularly  built,  and  of  no  par 
ticular  order  of  architecture.  The  front  presents  an  imposing  ap 
pearance,  having  its  broad  surface  richly  ornamented  with  elaborate 
stucco  work.  The  interior  is  on  an  equally  magnificent  scale.  The 
lofty  pillars,  wrought  arched  ceiling,  paintings,  and  altars,  softened 
by  the  dim  light  issuing  from  windows  thirty  feet  from  the  floor,  in 
spire  the  beholder  with  admiration  and  religious  awe.  There  are 
several  small  altars,  the  ornaments  of  which  are  carved  and  gilded 
so  as  to  present  a  very  chaste  appearance ;  but  the  main  altar  is  the 
principal  object  of  attention.  It  forms  one  huge  piece  of  the  richest 


280 


DESCRIPTION   OF    DEFENCES. 


carving  and  gilding,  decorated  with  the  heads  of  saints,  full-length 
figures,  angels,  and  other  objects.  During  service,  the  effect  of  the 
whole  is  such  as  can  be  produced  .by  few  ceremonies  besides  those 
attending  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 

HE  defences  in  and  about 
Monterey  were  on  a  scale 
which  justified  the  Mexi 
cans  in  their  belief  that 
the  city  was  impregnable. 
The  eastern  and  southern 
approaches  were  com 
manded  by  seven  prin 
cipal  works.  These  are 
enumerated  by  an  eye 
witness  in  the  following 
order : 

1.  A  strong  redoubt  of  masonry,  of  four  faces,  with  an  open  gorge 
often  feet,  prepared  for  four  guns,  overlooked  and  commanded  by  a 
large  stone  house  in  the  rear,  prepared  with  sand  bags  and  loop-holes 
for  infantry. 

2.  A  strong  redoubt  of  four  faces,  with  an  open  gorge  of  twenty 
feet,  prepared  for  three  guns. 

3.  Masonry  for  infantry,  and  breastworks. 

4.  An  unoccupied  redoubt  of  one  gun. 

5.  Tete-de-pont  in  front  of  the  bridge  of  the  Purissima,  a  strong 
work  of  masonry,  mounting  three  guns. 

6.  A  strong  redoubt,  masonry,  with  four  guns,  overlooking  the  ap 
proaches  from  Cadareyta,  and  commanding  the  gorge  of  the  second 
redoubt. 

7.  A  strong  redoubt  of  masonry,  for  three  guns,  overlooked  and 
commanded  by  a  large  stone  house,  prepared  for  infantry,  with  loop 
holes  and  sand  bags. 

The  works,  with  the  exception  of  the  first,  were  connected  by 
breastworks  of  earth  and  brush,  for  infantry ;  thus  forming  one  great 
fort.  The  barricades,  of  masonry,  were  twelve  feet  thick,  and  fur 
nished  with  embrasures  for  guns.  All  the  house-tops  and  garden 
walls  of  the  city  were  loop-holed,  and  provided  with  sand  bags  for 
infantry  defence. 

The  northern  approaches  were  defended  by  the  citadel,  a  large 
rectangular  edifice,  built  of  stone,  and  surrounded  by  an  inclosed 
work  of  solid  masonry,  with  four  bastion  fronts,  mounting  thirty-one 
guns.  The  western  approaches  [stormed  by  Worth's  division]  were 
overlooked  by  the  Bishop's  Palace,  of  four  guns,  a  redoubt  on  Inde- 


me* 


"REFERENCES. 


A.  Mexican  Ambuscade  afternoon  20th  Sep 
tember. 

B.  Yard  into  which  Mexicans  fired  on  even 

ing  20th. 

C.  Charge  of  Mexican  Lancers  morning  21st. 

D.  Position  of  2d  Division  on  21st. 

E.  Height  stormed  by  Colonel  Childs  22d. 

F.  Bishop's  Palace  carried  on  22d. 

G.  Height  stormed  by  Captain  Smith's  Party 

21st. 
H.  Redoubt  stormed  by  General  Smith  21at. 

2A2 


I.  Arista's  House  and  Garden 

J.  Church  Cemetery,  with  loop-holes  for  mus 
ketry. 

K.  Plaza  de  Came. 

L.  Small  Plaza. 

M.  Grand  Plaza. 

P.  Q.  R.  Positions  occupied  by  our  troop* 
morning  24th. 

1.  Redoubt  four  guns  carried  morning  21st. 

2.  Redoubt  Fort  Diablo  three  guns. 
6.  Redoubt  four  guns. 

36  281 


MONTEREY   AND    SURROUNDING   REGION.      283 

pendence  hill,  having  two  guns ;  a  battery  of  two  guns  on  Federa 
tion  hill ;  and  Fort  Soldada,  of  one  gun. 

N  short,  the  whole  city  was  one  vast  fortress. 
Batteries  raked  each  principal  street,  which, 
uniting  with  the  fires  from  roofs  and  houses, 
crossed  and  recrossed  at  every  point.  The 
walls  were  so  thick  as  to  render  artillery 
almost  useless ;  so  that  houses  as  well  as 
forts  were  to  be  stormed  with  the  bayonet, 
and  immediately  garrisoned,  before  the 
Americans  could  proceed  successfully 
towards  the  heart  of  the  city.  Besides  this, 
the  road  to  the  city  lay  through  open  corn 
fields,  where  the  Americans  were  exposed 
to  sweeping  fires  before  they  could  get  into  a  position  to  return 
a  shot. 

The  appearance  of  Monterey  and  the  surrounding  region,  as  seen 
from  the  Walnut  Springs,  is  graphically  described  by  Reid : — "  The 
scene  before  us  was  magnificent  and  sublime.  There  lay  the  rich 
and  lovely  valley  of  Monterey,  a  beautiful  undulating  plain,  while, 
in  its  centre,  between  the  Saddle  mountain,  and  another  chain  of  the 
Sierra  del  Madre,  lay  concealed  the  capital  of  Nueva  Leon,  the  tower 
ing  steeple  of  the  cathedral  alone  being  visible  to  mark  its  situation. 
Off  to  the  right  was  the  citadel,  from  whose  battlements  a  flag  occa 
sionally  flaunted  to  the  breeze,  and  then  hung  in  folds  again,  strug 
gling  as  it  were  to  maintain  its  proud  display.  To  the  left  could  be 
seen  the  avenues  leading  to  the  city,  which  were  fortified  by  the  bat 
teries  and  other  works  of  the  enemy.  Still  farther  to  the  right,  in 
the  rear  of  the  city,  stood,  on  a  high  hill  overlooking  the  whole,  the 
Bishop's  Palace,  displaying  from  its  turrets  the  black  cross  of  the 
holy  church,  and  the  green,  white,  and  red  banner  of  Mexico ;  while 
the  tops  of  the  adjacent  heights  were  covered  with  snow-white  tents. 
Beautiful  green  fields  met  the  eye  on  either  side,  and  cattle  were 
quietly  grazing  about,  while  mountains  on  every  hand  rose  with  their 
high  peaks  to  heaven,  tipped  with  white  fleecy  clouds,  which  con 
trasted  beautifully  with  the  bright  green  of  the  base  of  those  nearer 
by.  Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  mountains,  the  vale,  and  the 
city,  seemed  alike  undisturbed,  and  wrapped  in"'  the  calm  repose  of 
nature.  All  was  still,  save  the  wild  whistle  of  the  forest  bird." 

After  the  army  had  arrived  within  sight  of  the  city,  a  detachment 
of  Mexican  lancers  was  observed  approaching ;  but  when  the  regi 
ment  of  Colonel  Hays  attempted  to  charge,  they  suddenly  wheeled 
about  and  returned  to  the  city.  Instead  of  pursuing,  Hays  ordered 


284 


RECONNOISSANCE    OF    DEFENCES. 


a  halt,  and  the  object  of  the  movement  was  soon  apparent.  The 
guns  of  the  citadel  suddenly  opened  with  twelve-pound  shot,  which, 
bad  the  rangers  been  within  range,  would  have  committed  fearful 
execution  in  their  party.  This  the  keen  eye  of  Hays  had  foreseen ; 
and  consequently  he  restrained  the  impetuosity  of  his  troops,  and 
thereby  baffled  the  efforts  of  the  enemy. 

Meanwhile,  General  Taylor  and  staff,  with  Major  Mansfield  and  a 
party  of  engineers,  had  proceeded  to  the  right,  in  order  to  make  an 
examination  of  the  enemy's  works,  when  a  ball  struck  within  about 
twenty  feet  of  the  general,  and  bounded  towards  the  group,  showing 
that  the  enemy  had  got  the  range  with  their  guns.  The  troops 
marched  and  counter-marched  in  front  of  the  enemy's  batteries  for 
nearly  two  hours,  while  balls  were  ploughing  up  the  ground  near 
them.  In  the  afternoon,  the  whole  army  encamped  at  the  Walnut 
Springs.  During  the  night,  about  thirty  of  the  enemy  were  captured. 
After  a  careful  reconnoissance  of  the  principal  defences  of  the  city, 
the  American  commander  was  convinced,  that,  instead  of  attacking 
the  front  with  his  whole  army,  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  gain 
the  enemy's  rear,  and  carry  the  positions  to  the  west,  thus  giving  the 
army  two  chances  of  success. 

Founding  the  plan  of  attacking  on  these  views,  the  general  made 
preparations  to  gain  the  Saltillo  road,  intrusting  the  command  of  the 
expedition  to  General  Worth.  That  officer  was  to  march,  by  a  cir 
cuitous  route,  around  the  hill  of  the  Bishop's  Palace,  and  carry  the 
heights  or  detached  works  in  the  enemy's  rear.  His  division  con- 
*sisted  of  two  brigades.  The  first,  commanded  by  Lieutenant- Colo 
nel  Stamford,  was  composed  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan's  battery 
of  horse  artillery,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Child's  artillery  battalion,  in 
cluding  six  companies  and  a  regiment  of  infantry. 

ENERAL  PERSIFER  F.  SMITH'S 
brigade,  (the  2d,)  consisted  of  Lieu 
tenant  McCall's  battery  of  horse  artil 
lery,  the  5th  infantry,  to  which  was 
attached  Captain  Blanchard's  company 
of  Louisiana  volunteers,  under  Major 
Martin  Scott,  and  the  7th  infantry  un 
der  Captain  Miles.  Colonel  Hays's 
regiment  of  mounted  Texas  rangers 
also  accompanied  the  division,  which 
numbered  altogether  about  two  thou 
sand  men.  These  were  in  a  high  state 
of  discipline,  and  both  the  general 
and  his  division  were  eager  to  meet  the  enemy. 


MCCULLOCHS    SKIRMISHES. 


287 


OLONEL  HAYS'S  regiment  was  ordered 
at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  to  hold  itself  in 
readiness  for  marching.  They  moved 
at  noon,  advancing  slowly  towards  some 
corn-fields.  The  enemy  soon  perceived 
the  movement,  and  detached  large  bo 
dies  of  infantry  from  the  Bishop's  Palace 
to  the  height  above  it.  To  divert  their 
attention,  General  Taylor  threw  the  1st 
and  3d  divisions  towards  the  city,  a  stra 
tagem  which  enabled  Hays's  command 
,  to  reach  the  Pescaria  Grande  road  with 
out  interruption.  At  this  place,  the 
tents  of  the  enemy  on  Independence  Hill  could  be  plainly  perceived. 
Meanwhile,  General  Burleson  of  Texas,  with  about  twenty  men, 
proceeded  along  the  base  of  the  hill,  while  Colonel  Hays  and  Lieu 
tenant-Colonels  Duncan  and  Walker,  with  Captain  McCulloch  and 
Colonel  Peyton,  late  of  the  Louisiana  volunteers,  ascended  the  hill 
to  reconnoiter.  Worth  also  ascended.  Soon  after,  General  Burleson 
rode  up,  and  reported  that  a  large  force  of  both  infantry  and  cavalry 
was  approaching,  for  the  purpose  of  disputing  the  passage.  General 
Worth  now  joined  the  other  officers,  and  immediately  gave  orders  for 
a  detachment  of  McCulloch's  company  to  join  that  of  Gillespie,  in 
a  careful  reconnoissance  of  the  hill.  While  this  was  being  made, 
Colonel  Hays  fell  in  with  an  ambush  of  the  enemy,  who  opened  upon 
him  with  musket  and  escopet  balls,  followed  by  shells  and  shot  from 
Fort  Independence.  Hays  having  with  him  only  about  thirty  men, 
ordered  a  retreat ;  but  many  of  the  party's  horses  became  unmanage 
able,  in  consequence  of  the  bursting  of  shells.  This  caused  much 
confusion,  and  several  of  the  rangers  were  for  awhile  in  imminent 

'  O 

danger;  but  eventually  all  rejoined  the  main  army.  The  colonel 
had  a  second  skirmish  with  the  Mexicans  immediately  after  sun 
down.  The  advance  were  not  able  to  regain  camp,  and  passed  the 
night  without  fire  or  blankets,  exposed  to  a  chilling  rain. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  the  troops  were  ordered  under 
arms,  and  without  stopping  to  breakfast,  began  their  march.  The 
rangers  were  in  advance  as  on  the  previous  day,  followed  by  the  re 
mainder  of  the  division  in  battle  array.  After  proceeding  about  a 
mile  and  a  half,  they  reached  a  turn  in  the  road,  near  the  hacienda 
of  San  Jeronimo,  which  brought  them  in  full  view  of  the  enemy'i 
forces,  drawn  up  for  action,  to  the  number  of  about  fifteen  hundred. 
Hays  immediately  ordered  his  company  to  deploy  to  the  right,  and 
dismount.  He  was  supported  by  Duncan's  battery  and  the  light 


288  CAVALRY   ACTION. 

companies  of  Scott  and  Smith.  The  enemy  opened  their  first  fire, 
In  which  they  were  joined  by  the  battery  of  Independence  Hill.  The 
rangers  answered  by  a  rapid  fire  from  their  rifles.  The  Mexicans 
then  prepared  to  charge ;  and  Captain  McCulloch  being  separated 
from  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  was  obliged  to  receive  the  entire 
shock.  Then  ensued  a  scene,  which  in  rapidity  of  movement  and 
individual  daring  has  not  been  surpassed  by  any  battle  of  the  Mexi 
can  war.  The  appearance  of  the  enemy  was  highly  military,  men 
and  horses  being  gaily  caparisoned,  and  their  long  lances  deco 
rated  with  pennons  of  green  and  red,  which  fluttered  gracefully  in  the 
morning  sun.  "On  they  came,"  says  Reid,  who  participated  in 
the  action,  "  at  a  full  gallop,  led  by  their  brave  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Juan  N.'Najera.  McCulloch  received  them  with  a  leaden  rain,  from 
rifles,  pistols,  and  shot-guns,  while  the  Texans  at  the  fence  poured 
in  upon  them  a  deadly  fire.  The  clash  was  great,  and  at  the  shock 
the  host  moved  to  and  fro  as  the  forest  bends  before  the  storm  ;  but 
our  horses  were  too  powerful  to  be  overcome,  and  many  of  the 
enemy's  bravest  men  were  borne  from  their  saddles.  We  saw  their 
lieutenant- colonel  fall  while  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  exhorting 
his  men  to  rally  and  stand  firm.  He  was  a  tall,  splendid  looking 
officer,  with  a  fierce  moustache,  and  beautiful  teeth,  which  were  set  hard, 
and  with  his  other  features  evinced  the  most  marked  determination. 
"  McCulloch's  men  were  now  engaged  hand  to  hand  with  the 
enemy's  lancers,  using  their  revolvers,  while  some  few  beat  back 
the  enemy  with  their  swords.  Meanwhile  the  light  companies  and 
Duncan's  artillery  had  opened  their  fire,  and  the  enemy  was  borne 
back  with  great  slaughter,  carrying  with  them  a  portion  of  McCul 
loch's  men,  who  had  fought  their  way  nearly  to  the  enemy's  centre, 
and  seeing  their  peril,  were  fighting  to  get  back.  Then  it  was  that 
the  hardest  struggle  took  place.  Armstrong,  one  of  our  company, 
was  unhorsed  by  a  lancer,  having  received  two  wounds ;  yet,  on  foot, 
with  sword  in  hand,  he  defended  himself  against  two  of  the  enemy. 
He  killed  one,  and  the  other  was  shot  by  a  comrade.  *  *  *  * 
McCulloch  had  been  twice  borne  back  by  the  Mexicans,  and,  making 
a  desperate  struggle  to  regain  his  company,  he  put  his  horse  at  full 
speed,  ran  down  all  opposition,  and  regained  his  command  without 
injury.  The  Mexicans  had  taken  to  the  hills,  and  the  regular  skir 
mishers  or  light  companies,  under  Captains  Smith  and  Scott,  con 
tinued  their  fire  over  our  heads,  killing  by  accident  one  of  the  rangers. 
About  this  time  Captain  Gutierrez,  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  who  had 
received  three  wounds,  was  also  killed ;  he  died,  fighting  to  the  last, 
one  of  the  most  courageous  of  his  race.  As  the  Mexicans  gave  way, 
light  companies  rushed  up  the  hill,  firing  over  the  ridge  at  the 


DEATH   OF    CAPTAIN    M^KAVETT. 


291 


retiring  enemy,  who  fled  in  every'direction.  Parties  of  our  infantry, 
who  had  gained  the  corn-fields,  were  also  picking  off  the  Mexican 
infantry,  who  were  rapidly  retreating  in- the  road  leading  to  the  city. 
The  Texans  also  poured  upon  them  a  destructive  fire,  and  in  several 
instances  both  horse  and  rider  were  seen  to  bound  some  feet  into  the 
air,  and  then  fall  together  down  the  hill. 

"  This  most  brilliant  action  lasted  about  fifteen  minutes,  during  which 
time  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and  wounded, 
while  on  our  part  the  loss  was  trifling.  Several  of  McCulloch's  men 
were  severely  wounded  by  the  enemy's  lancers,  but  our  regiment  had 
only  one  killed.  The  squadron  which  so  bravely  charged  McCul- 
loch  were  nearly  all  cut  to  pieces.  Amid  the  scene  of  carnage  lay 
stretched  out  some  of  their  bravest  men,  in  gaudy  uniforms ;  and 
many  a  broken  lance  lay  here  and  there,  while  the  road  and  hill-side 
were  lined  with  their  dead  horses,  beautifully  caparisoned,  the  sad 
dles  ornamented  with  silver  mountings,  presenting  a  wild  and  ghastly 
scene.  Thirty-two  of  their  dead  were  buried  in  one  pit." 

FTERthe  enemy's  defeat,  Dun 
can's  and  McCall's  artillery  was 
posted  on  the  Saltillo  road,  and 
opened  a  fire  upon  some  works 
on  Independence  Hill.  It  was 
answered  by  a  nine-pounder  from  the  hill, 
and  a  battery  of  two  guns  from  Federation 
Hill,  both  of  which  the  Mexicans  served 
with  admirable  effect.  General  Worth 
now  ordered  his  command  to  march  about 
eight  hundred  yards  farther,  to  a  position 
where  they  would  have  a  full  view  of  the  enemy's  fortifications.  In 
effecting  this  movement  Captain  McKavett  was  killed,  and  a  private 
wounded. 

On  the  previous  evening,  Worth  had  despatched  a  note  to  General 
Taylor,  suggesting  a  manoeuver  on  the  part  of  the  commander  to 
favour  the  intended  attack  upon  the  Bishop's  Palace.  This  was  done 
early  on  the  21st.  The  infantry  and  artillery  of  the  1st  division,  and 
the  field  division  of  volunteers,  were  ordered  under  arms,  and  moved 
towards  the  city ;  while  the  2d  dragoons,  under  May,  and  Colonel 
Wood's  regiment  of  Texas  mounted  volunteers,  under  General  Hen 
derson,  were  directed  to  the  right  to  support  General  Worth,  if 
necessary,  and  to  make  an  impression,  if  practicable,  upon  the  upper 
quarter  of  the  city. 

Before  detailing  Worth's  operations,  it  may  be  proper  to  describe 
his  position,  relative  to  both  the  Mexican  redoubts  and  General  Tay- 


292  WORTH'S  POSITION. 

lor's  camp.  The  2d  division  had  marched  from  the  Walnut  Springs, 
on  the  main  road,  [two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  of  the  20th,]  and  after  mov 
ing  nearly  directly  west,  and  crossing  the  Monclova  and  Pescarra 
roads  above  the  city,  the  troops  reached  a  hill,  on  which  they  en 
camped  for  the  night.  Near  this  was  the  Mexican  ambuscade  of  Sep 
tember  20th,  from  which  was  detached  the  party  that  skirmished  in 
the  evening.  Early  on  the  21st  they  reached,  by  a  south-westerly 
course,  the  Saltillo  road,  where  the  charge  of  cavalry  took  place. 
After  the  repulse  of  the  Mexicans,  Worth  moved  the  troops  nearly 
twelve  hundred  yards  along  the  road,  and  prepared  for  assaulting 
the  works. 

This  position  led  directly  to  the  city,  which  lay  south-east  at  a 
distance  of  perhaps  twenty-five  hundred  yards.  Between  General 
Worth  and  the  nearest  point  to  the  town  arose  Independence  Hill, 
defended  by  the  Bishop's  Palace,  and  a  redoubt,  both  commanding 
the  road.  South  of  the  Saltillo  road,  and  running  parallel  to  it,  is 
the  Arroyo  San  Juan,  a  small  stream  branching  from  the  main  river 
of  that  name.  South  of  the  stream,  and  bordering  upon  it,  is  Fede 
ration  Hill,  defended  by  Fort  Soldada  and  another  work. 

HUS  Worth  was  completely  isolated 
from  the  main  portion  of  the  army, 
except  through  the  route  by  which 
he  came.  To  reach  Monterey,  and 
act  in  conjunction  with  the  com 
manding  general,  it  was  necessary  to  storm 
an  almost  impregnable  fortress,  to  march 
along  roads  swept  by  galling  fires,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  keep  in  check  large  bodies 
of  cavalry  and  infantry,  posted  at  advantageous  positions  in  the  open 
country.  Besides  this,  a  large  force  might,  at  any  time,  approach 
from  Saltillo  and  cut  off  all  retreat ;  an  event  which  would  render 
any  attempt  to  force  a  way  back  extremely  critical.  Worth's  duties 
were  peculiar  and  arduous ;  on  their  issue  depended  his  fame  as  a 
soldier,  the  safety  of  his  division,  and  perhaps  the  final  result  of  the 
operations  against  Monterey. 

As  the  forts  on  Federation  Hill  lay  nearest  his  position,  Worth  de 
termined  on  attacking  them  first.  He  accordingly  despatched,  for 
this  purpose,  Captain  Smith,  with  three  hundred  men,  composing  six 
companies  of  Texas  rangers,  and  three  of  the  artillery  battalion.  At 
noon,  while  the  troops  stood  ready  to  march,  Worth  rode  along  their 
front,  and,  by  a  few  words,  nerved  each  heart  to  its  apparently  des 
perate  task.  Soon  after  they  were  slowly  moving  along  the  Saltillo 
road,  towards  extensive  fields  of  corn  and  sugar  cane.  These 


STORMING   OF   FEDERATION   HILL.  293 

entered,  in  order  to  screen  their  march  from  the  enemy's  observation, 
and  falling  mto  single  file,  proceeded  rapidly  towards  the  river.  Be 
fore  reaching  it,  the  roar  of  cannon  from  the  hill  gave  notice  that 
they  were  observed,  and  that  the  remainder  of  their  march  must  be 
through  sheets  of  deadly  fire.  But,  animated  by  their  intrepid  cap 
tain,  they  paused  not  for  a  moment,  but,  reaching  the  water's  edge, 
dashed  in  waist  deep,  while  cannon  shot  and  musketry  were  plung 
ing  and  foaming  in  every  direction.  At  this  moment  the  firing 
seemed  redoubled ;  the  brow  of  the  hill  was  lost  in  dense  smoke, 
while  flash  after  flash  of  quick  flame,  followed  by  rattling  volleys, 
glared  through  the  gloom.  Through  this  terrible  storm  the  Ameri 
cans  rushed,  and  gained  the  opposite  bank  without  loss ;  a  circum 
stance  that  appears  almost  miraculous. 

Federation  Hill  is  nearly  four  hundred  feet  high,  very  steep,  and 
at  its  base  almost  entirely  covered  with  dense  chaparral.  On  reach 
ing  these  thickets,  the  men  were  halted  in  order  to  prepare  for 
the  ascent.  During  this  interval,  large  reinforcements  of  Mexicans 
were  poured  into  the  fort,  and  companies  of  infantry  and  sharp 
shooters  descended  from  it,  and  stationed  themselves  along  ledges 
and  eminences.  These  were  to  gall  the  assailants  as  they  advanced, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  the  artillery  from  above  swept  the  road  in 
front. 

On  observing  this,  General  Worth  ordered  the  7th  infantry,  under 
Captain  Miles,  to  support  Captain  Smith,  by  a  movement  which 
would  divert  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  Taking  the  direct  road  to 
the  hill,  Miles  came  within  range  of  the  Mexican  fire  before  Captain 
Smith,  and  after  a  short  skirmish  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  during  which 
he  firmly  maintained  his  position,  halted  and  awaited  the  arrival  of 
the  first  detachment.  The  two  commands  were  soon  joined,  and 
having  reached  the  hill-side,  were  secure  from  the  artillery,  which 
could  not  be  inclined  so  as  to  reach  them. 

iHE  party  now  commenced  the  ascent.  Gradu 
ally  the  enemy's  musketry  opened  upon 
them,  and  was  answered  by  the  Texan  rifle. 
As  the  troops  swept  on,  the  battle  grew 
louder  and  more  exciting.  One  detachment 
of  the  Mexicans  followed  another  down  the 
cliffs  to  convenient  places  for  harassing  the 
assailants.  A  dark  ring  of  smoke  settled 
around  the  centre  of  the  hill,  and  at  length 
volley  after  volley  of  rattling  fire-arms,  the  shouts  of  combatants,  the 
hurry  of  marching,  and  dashing  of  cavalry,  bounding  and  echoing 
along  the  slope,  told  that  the  action  had  reached  its  height.  After  a 


TAKING    OF   FORT   S  0  L  D  A  D  A. 


Colonel  Hays. 

fierce  struggle  the  enemy  began  to  give  way,  and  soon  they  were 
in  slow  retreat  up  the  hill,  followed  by  the  shouting  Americans.  As 
the  latter  neared  the  fort,  the  terrified  garrison  shrunk  before  them  ; 
and  soon  the  advance  rushed  through  its  gates,  tore  down  the 
colours  and  erected  the  American  flag.  A  shout  of  victory  went 
up  from  every  voice,  and  was  answered  by  joyful  spectators  near 
General  Worth.  A  nine-pounder  was  captured,  which  had  been 
overturned  by  the  enemy  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  it  down  the  hill. 
The  enemy  retreated  to  Fort  Soldada ;  and  Worth  ordered  Gene 
ral  Smith,  with  the  5th  regiment  and  a  party  of  Texas  rangers,  under 
Colonel  Hays,  to  assist  Captain  Smith  in  taking  it.  The  combined 
forces  rushed  along  the  sides  of  the  hill,  with  deafening  cheers,  drove 
all  opposition  before  them,  and  entered  almost  simultaneously  into 
the  fort.  The  enemy  had  not  yet  evacuated  it,  when  the  colours  of 
the  5th  infantry  were  planted  on  the  walls,  followed  almost  imme 
diately  by  those  of  the  7th.  One  nine-pounder  was  captured,  to 


STORMING  OF  INDEPENDENCE  HILL.    295 

gather  with  mules,  camp  equipage,  and  ammunition.  The  garrison 
was  computed  at  fifteen  hundred,  and  its  loss  was  severe.  The 
Americans  had  eighteen  wounded — two  mortally.  .The  guns  of  both 
forts  were  immediately  turned  upon  the  Bishop's  Palace,  which  was 
separated  by  a  valley  of  several  hundred  yards  width.  The  evening 
was  dark  and  chilly ;  and  soon  after  the  troops  lay  down,  rain  com 
menced  pouring  in  torrents,  attended  by  heavy  thunder  and  lightning. 
Exposed  to  this  storm,  without  food  or  shelter,  lay  the  weary  assail 
ants  of  Federation  Hill,  during  the  night  of  the  21st. 

Severe  as  had  been  the  labours  of  this  day,  they  were  understood 
by  all  to  be  but  the  prelude  of  more  terrible  ones  on  the  following 
day.  The  heights  on  Independence  Hill  were  still  occupied  by  the 
enemy,  and  the  works  by  which  it  was  surrounded  were  to  all  ap 
pearances  impregnable.  The  hill  itself  is  between  seven  and  eight 
hundred  feet  high,  and  not  only  the  most  inaccessible  height  from 
its  almost  perpendicular  ascent — covered  as  it  is  with  ledges  of  rock, 
some  four  or  five  feet  high,  and  low,  thick,  thorny  bushes — but  also 
the  most  important,  as  commanding  all  the  western  approaches,  and 
by  a  gradual  descent  from  the  crest  of  the  hill  of  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  or  four  hundred  yards,  south-east  course  along  the  ridge, 
leading  to  the  Bishop's  Palace,  which  it  also  commands  and  over 
looks,  thus  forming  a  key  to  the  entrance  of  Monterey  on  the  western 
side.  The  height  was  defended  by  a  piece  of  artillery,  and  during 
the  night  a  large  reinforcement  had  been  thrown  forward  from  the 
Bishop's  Palace. 

The  troops  destined  to  carry  these  heights  were  roused  from  sleep 
at  three  A.  M.  of  the  22d.  The  thunder-storm  of  the  previous  even 
ing  still  lingered,  the  sky  was  concealed  by  a  curtain  of  clouds,  and 
a  dense  mist  pervaded  the  atmosphere.  This  circumstance  was  fa 
vourable  to  the  Americans,  as  their  main  hope  lay  in  surprising  the 
enemy.  Their  party  consisted  of  three  companies  of  the  artillery 
battalion ;  three  companies  of  the  8th  infantry,  and  seven  companies 
of  the  Texas  rangers,  under  Hays  and  Walker.  The  whole,  exclu 
sive  of  the  officers,  numbered  four  hundred  and  sixty-five  men,  com 
manded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Childs. 

Very  soon  after  being  formed,  the  Americans  commenced  their 
march,  moving  in  column,  until  they  reached  the  base  of  the  hill. 
Then  Captain  Vinton,  with  a  company  of  the  3d  artillery,  one  of  the 
8th,  and  three  companies  of  rangers  under  Walker,  was  detached  to 
move  as  a  left  column  up  the  north-west  slope  of  the  hill,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  command,  under  their  colonel,  ascended  on  the 
->outh-west.  The  ascent  was  steep  and  difficult ;  but  the  assailants 
pushed  forward  vigorously,  until  within  about  one  hundred  yards 


TAKING   OF   THE   BISHOP'S   PALACE. 


of  the  summit.  Here  a  loud  discharge  announced  that  they  were 
discovered ;  and  as  they  pressed  onward  the  noise  grew  with  their 
advance  until  ths  hill  rocked  with  the  stunning  peals.  On  reaching 
the  fort,  a  short  but  fierce  «truggle  ensued,  which  terminated  in  the 
utter  discomfiture  of  the  garrison.  The  fugitives  fled  towards  the 
Bishop's  Palace,  carrying  with  them  a  piece  of  cannon.  The  Ameri 
cans  on  account  of  their  exhausted  condition  did  not  pursue.  During 
the  ascent,  two  of  their  noblest  spirits  had  fallen.  Captain  R.  A. 
Gillespie,  and  Herman  S.  Thomas,  of  the  rangers.  The  former  had 
been  the  first  man  to  enter  Fort  Soldada  on  the  previous  day. 

FAVOURABLE  position  to  play 
upon  the  palace  was  now  taken  by 
Lieutenant  Roland,  who  opened  his 
howitzer  upon  that  pile  with  terriblfi 
effect.  While  this  was  going  on,  the 
advance  was  increased  to  six  compa 
nies,  and  placed  under  charge  of 
Captain  Vinton.  That  skilful  officer 
so  disposed  his  troops  as  to  provoke 
the  enemy  to  sally  upon  his  line,  in 
which  case  he  designed  a  bayonet 
charge,  which  would  throw  them  into 
such  confusion  as  would  enable  his  men 
to  enter  the  Palace  with  them.  The 
event  answered  his  expectation.  A 
heavy  Mexican  force  poured  from  the  works,  and,  forming  in  front 
of  the  principal  gate,  came  down  in  one  dense  mass  on  the  American 
infantry.  The  latter  poured  in  a  heavy  fire,  followed  soon  by  the 
murderous  rifle  blast  of  the  Texas  rangers.  Then  followed  the 
charge.  The  Mexicans  were  broken  and  chased  down  the  sides 
of  the  hill  in  wild  disorder ;  while  the  victors,  rushing  forward  with 
loud  shouts,  entered  the  Palace  before  the  gates  could  be  closed.  A 
short  struggle  ensued  within  the  walls ;  but  it  ended,  and  the  noise 
of  battle  gave  way  to  the  shout  of  victory.  The  Bishop's  Palace  was 
gained. 

In  this  assault  the  Americans  lost  six  killed  and  fifteen  wounded  ; 
the  enemy  one  hundred  and  eighty.  The  whole  division,  except  the 
Texas  rangers,  moved  up  to  the  Palace,  and  spent  the  night  within 
its  walls.  During  the  evening,  the  troops  were  employed  in  taking 
care  of  the  wounded — the  enemy's  as  well  as  their  own. 

Thus  by  a  series  of  well  planned  and  brilliant  movements,  in  the 
face  of  obstacles  which  at  first  appeared  insurmountable,  General 
Worth  had  obtained  full  possession  of  three  of  the  enemy's  batteries, 


GENERAL    WORTH. 


297 


the  stronghold  of  the  Bishop's  Palace,  seven  pieces  of  artillery,  two 
standards,  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition  and  intrenching  tools,  and 
what  was  of  still  greater  importance,  the  entire  occupation  of  the  Sal- 
tillo  road,  and  a  complete  command  of  all  the  western  portion  of  the 
city  of  Monterey.  He  had  established  a  reputation  for  bravery  and 
generalship  which  would  place  him  on  a  level  with  any  officer  in  the 
army  of  occupation ;  and,  indeed,  much  of  the  fame  he  has  subse 
quently  won,  is  owing  to  the  effect  produced  upon  himself  by  the 
operations  at  Monterey,  and  his  anxiety  to  preserve  unsullied  the 
laurels  which  he  there  won. 


General  Worth  at  Monterey. 


38 


Monterey  from  the  Bishop's  Palace. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


STORMING    OF    MONTEREY. 

GENERAL  description  of  the  defences  of 
Monterey  has  already  been  given.  It  may 
not  be  uninteresting  to  recapitulate  and 
specify  more  particularly,  the  principal  points 
attacked  by  the  first  and  third  divisions  of 
the  American  army. 

The  southern  portion  of  the  city  is  washed 
by  the  Arroyo  San  Juan,  while  the  northern 
spreads  out  into  open  country.     The  east 
and  west  boundaries   are  parallel,  running 
north-east.     At  the  northern  extremity  of  a 
street  which  runs  through  the  centre  of  the  city,  meet  the  Pescaria. 
Monclova,  and  Marin  roads.     Between  the  two  latter,  some  distance 
north  of  the  city  proper,  is  the  citadel,  a  large  quadrangular  struc- 
(298) 


STORMING    OF    FORT   TENERIA  299 

ture,  built  of  stone,  very  strong,  and  commanding  all  the  approaches 
to  Monterey  on  the  north.  At  the  north-east  extremity  of  the  city 
enters  the  Guadalupe  road.  A  little  south  of  this,  and  in  advance 
of  the  eastern  wall,  is  Fort  Teneria,  mounting  four  guns ;  below  this, 
Fort  El  Diablo,  three  guns,  and  still  further  south,  other  redoubts  and 
lines  of  barricades.  AH  these  were  to  be  carried  before  the  Ameri 
cans  could,  with  security,  commence  their  operations  against  the  city 
r  proper. 

On  the  night  of  the  20th,  General  Taylor  placed  in  battery  on  the 
Marin  road,  a  ten  inch  mortar,  and  two  twenty -four  pound  howitzers, 
to  open  upon  the  town  and  citadel  on  the  following  morning,  so  as 
to  favour  the  movement  of  the  second  division.  On  the  21st,  after 
a  camp  guard  of  one  company  from  each  regiment  had  been  ap 
pointed,  the  army,  numbering  thirty-five  hundred,  marched  from 
camp  towards  the  mortar  battery.  Here  May's  dragoons  and  the 
Texas  rangers,  under  General  Henderson,  were  thrown  to  the  right, 
to  reinforce  Worth  if  necessary.  A  command  of  six  hundred  and 
forty-nine  men,  consisting  of  two  regiments  and  a  battalion,  was 
placed  under  direction  of  Colonel  Garland,  for  the  purpose  of  divert 
ing  the  garrison,  and  if  possible  carrying  one  of  the  strong  holds. 
Accompanying  this  force,  was  the  light  artillery  battery  of  Captain 
Bragg,  and  Major  Mansfield,  Captain  Williams,  and  Lieutenant  Pope 
of  the  engineers.  Moving  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  Colonel 
Garland  crossed  the  Guadalupe  road,  and  reached  a  secure  place 
near  the  city,  where  he  halted.  Major  Mansfield  and  Lieutenant 
Pope  were  sent  in  advance  with  two  companies  to  make  a  recon- 
noissance.  They  had  proceeded  but  a  little  distance,  when  they  were 
fired  upon  from  Fort  Teneria ;  and  immediately  after  a  large  body 
of  lancers  began  skirmishing  with  muskets.  To  support  the  detach 
ment,  Garland  pushed  forward  with  his  whole  command,  through  a 
double  fire  from  the  fort  and  citadel,  and  was  soon  engaged  with  the 
lancers.  Captain  Bragg  was  ordered  forward,  and  moving  at  full 
gallop  through  a  terrible  fire,  he  reached  a  narrow  lane,  and  opened 
his  artillery  upon  the  fort  and  barricades.  In  answer  to  this,  all  the 
enemy's  forts  poured  forth  a  terrific  cannonade  of  grape,  canister, 
and  round  shot,  and  the  Americans  melted  away  by  scores.  Amid 
this  shower  of  death,  the  Americans  rushed  forward,  until  their  loss 
became  so  great  that  the  major  was  obliged  to  order  a  retreat.  He 
himself  was  wounded,  and  scarcely  an  officer  of  the  3d  regiment 
escaped  unhurt.  Among  the  most  distinguished  of  those  who  fell, 
were  Major  Lear,  commanding  the  3d  infantry,  Major  Barbour,  Cap 
tains  Fifeld  and  Williams,  and  Lieutenant  Irwin.  In  the  retreat,  Cap 
tain  Bragg  lost  several  men,  besides  four  horses  killed  and  seven 


300         STORMING  OF  FOKT  TENERIA. 

wounded.  Fortunately,  Captain  Backus,  of  the  1st  infantry,  gained 
with  his  company  a  stone  tannery,  the  roof  of  which  looked  directly 
into  the  gorge  of  Fort  Teneria,  at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards. 
From  this  his  men  poured  a  most  destructive  fire  into  the  redoubt, 
and  the  building  in  its  rear,  thus  contributing  in  no  little  degree  to 
the  capture  of  those  places. 

Meanwhile,  being  apprized  of  the  struggle  with  Colonel  Garland, 
General  Taylor  sent  to  his  assistance  a  reinforcement,  consisting  of 
the  Ohio  regiment,  under  Colonel  Mitchell,  a  portion  of  Hamer's 
brigade,  under  Colonel  Campbell,  and  Colonel  Davis's  Mississippi- 
ans — the  whole  under  the  direction  of  General  Butler.  This  officer 
despatched  General  Quitman  with  the  Mississippi  brigade  and  that 
of  General  Hamer,  in  the  direction  of  the  city,  and  then  advanced  cau 
tiously  towards  the  scene  of  conflict.  Here  he  soon  became  exposed 
to  the  enemy's  fire,  and  after  advancing  a  few  squares,  he  met  Major 
Mansfield,  and  received  from  him  information  of  the  failure  of  his 
attack.  The  major  advised  an  immediate  retreat.  Butler  communi 
cated  this  to  the  commanding  general,  who  ordered  him  to  fall  back ; 
but  soon  after,  on  information  being  received  that  General  Quitman  " 
had  stormed  a  strong  battery  and  a  stone  house,  the  order  was  with 
drawn. 

On  leaving  General  Butler,  General  Quitman  had  marched  towards 
Fort  Teneria,  through  a  fire  from  all  the  enemy's  positions,  more  ter 
rible  than  any  which  the  Americans  had  yet  witnessed.  Musketry, 
grape,  canister,  and  round  shot  swept  every  lane  and  avenue,  rattling 
over  the  stony  pavements,  and  crossing  in  whirling  streams  at  every 
corner.  The  ground  rocked  and  heaved  as  though  in  the  convulsion 
of  an  earthquake.  The  heavy  discharges  fell  on  the  stunned  ear 
without  intermission,  and  thick  folds  of  smoke  rolled  up  like  moun 
tains  towards  heaven,  lighted  only  by  the  lurid  flashes  of  cannon. 
Amid  this  fearful  storm,  where  the  voice  of  command  was  drowned 
in  that  of  death  and  havoc,  Quitman  moved  forward  his  staggering 
lines,  which  thinned  and  opened  at  every  step.  Four  companies  of 
the  4th  infantry  lost  one-third  of  their  officers  and  men  by  a  single 
discharge,  and  fell  back  on  the  rear.  But  the  passions  of  the  Ameri 
cans  were  wound  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  throwing  down  every 
impediment,  they  rushed  with  loud  shouts  towards  the  fort.  Gradu 
ally  the  column  became  enveloped  and  lost  in  smoke,  which,  lifting 
occasionally,  again  displayed  the  troops  moving  rapidly  up  to  the 
cannon's  mouth.  On  arriving  within  three  hundred  yards,  they 
opened  a  fire  from  their  rifles,  which  continued  half  an  hour.  The 
Mexicans,  sure  of  victory,  now  flung  forth  a  new  flag,  and  poured 
forth  their  showers  of  grape  and  musketry  with  unintermitted  rapidity. 


STORMING  OF  FORT  TENER1A. 


303 


General  Butler. 

At  sight  of  this  defiance,  Lieutenant-Colonel  McClung  shouted  the 
word  "  charge,"  and  in  the  same  moment  the  stern  voice  of  Colonel 
Davis  was  heard  echoing  it  along  his  line.  Breasting  the  withering 
storm,  the  command  rushed  forward,  over  dead  and  falling,  and  came 
like  an  avalanche  upon  the  fort.  McClung,  sword  in  hand,  leaped 
the  ditch,  mounted  the  wall,  and  with  one  more  step  was  hand  to 
hand  with  his  foe.  A  tide  of  exasperated  warriors  poured  after  him, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  their  wild  shouts,  soaring  above  the  pealing  of 
cannon,  told  of  the  hard-earned  victory.  The  Mexicans  took  refuge 
in  a  strong  building,  known  as  the  distillery,  whence  they  opened  a 
fire  of  musketry ;  but  this  was  speedily  captured  by  Lieutenant-Colo 
nel  McClung.  Five  pieces  of  artillery  were  captured,  a  quantity  of 
ammunition,  and  thirty  prisoners,  including  three  officers.  McClung 
being  severely  wounded,  Colonel  Davis  assumed  command,  and  led 
the  brigade  towards  Fort  Diablo,  until  recalled  by  General  Quitman. 
Thus,  after  a  most  desperate  and  bloody  conflict  of  more  than 
two  hours,  was  one  of  the  enemy's  strong  holds  carried  by  storm, 
notwithstanding  the  obstinate  resistance  they  maintained.  Consider 
ing  that  it  was  the  first  time  that  the  troops  of  General  Butler's 


. 


304  THE    BALTIMORE    BATTALION. 

division  were  ever  brought  into  action — sustaining  as  they  did,  a 
desperate  struggle  against  a  sheltered  and  inaccessible  foe — unpro 
tected  and  bared  to  the  storm  of  the  murderous  artillery  of  the  enemy, 
which,  although  it  swept  one-fifth  of  their  number  from  the  ranks, 
could  not  cause  them  to  shrink  for  an  instant  from  a  steady  advance, 
their  conduct  on  this  occasion  proves  to  the  world  the  undaunted 
gallantry  of  our  citizen  soldiers,  who  have  won  for  themselves  the 
reputation  of  veteran  troops.  The  charge  led  by  the  Mississippi  rifle 
regiment  upon  Fort  Teneria,  without  bayonets,  has  gained  for  the 
state  a  triumph  which  stands  unparalleled. 

Meanwhile  Colonel  Garland's  command  had  been  exposed  to  a 
destructive  fire  from  the  second  and  third  forts.  An  officer  of  the 
Baltimore  battalion  thus  describes  the  operations  of  that  body,  prior 
to  its  being  ordered  by  Major  Mansfield  to  retire:*  "  I  saw  Colonel 
Watson  shouting,  but  it  was  impossible  to  hear  a  command,  owing 
to  the  deafening  roar  of  cannon  and  musketry.  The  head  of  our 
column  changed  its  direction,  and  I  knew  at  once  that  the  point  of 
attack  was  changed,  and  ran  in  front  of  my  company  to  intercept  the 
head  of  my  column.  I  reached  it  as  Colonel  Watson  was  dismount 
ing  from  his  horse,  which  the  next  moment  fell  from  a  shot.  The 
colonel  cried  out  to  his  men — *  Shelter  yourselves,  men,  the  best  way 
you  can.'  At  this  time  the  battalion  was  scattered  over  the  space  of 
about  an  acre,  the  men  lying  down.  At  first  the  shot  flew  over  their 
heads,  but  the  guns  were  soon  depressed  so  as  to  take  effect. 

"  I  was  lying  close  to  Colonel  Watson,  along-side  of  a  hedge,  when 
he  jumped  up>  exclaiming,  '  Now  is  the  time,  follow  me.'  We  were 
now  in  a  street  or  lane,  with  a  few  houses  on  either  side,  and  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  three  batteries,  which  completely  raked  it,  in  ad 
dition  to  which,  two  twelve-pound  guns  were  planted  in  the  castle 
on  the  right,  and  completely  enfiladed  the  whole  distance  we  had  to 
make.  Add  to  this  the  musketeers  on  the  housetops,  in  the  barri- 
vades  at  the  head  of  the  street  up  which  we  advanced,  and  at  every 
cross  street,  and  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  deluge  of  balls 
poured  upon  us.  Men  and  horses  fell  at  every  step  of  our  advance. 
Cheers,  shrieks,  groans,  and  shouts  of  command  added  to  the  din, 
and  uniting  with  the  roar  of  cannon,  became  absolutely  deafening. 

"  We  had  advanced  up  the  street  under  this  awful  and  fatal  fire 
nearly  two  hundred  yards,  when  we  reached  a  cross  street,  at  the 
corner  of  which,  all  who  had  succeeded  in  getting  thus  far,  halted,  as 
if  by  mutual  consent.  While  shaking  Colonel  Watson  by  the  hand, 
as  he  complimented  me,  a  shower  of  grape,  round,  and  canister  shot 

*  The  style  of  description  differs  from  the  original. 


THE    BALTIMORE    BATTALION. 


305 


Colonel  Watson. 


came  from  the  corner  above,  cutting  down  five  officers,  and  I  know 
not  how  many  privates.  Each  man  sought  some  place  of  apparent 
shelter.  I  sat  down  on  the  ground,  with  my  back  to  the  wall  of  a 
house*  On  my  left  were  two  men,  nearly  torn  to  pieces.  One  of 
them  was  lying  flat  on  his  back,  with  his  legs  extending  farther  into 
the  street  than  mine.  A  shower  of  grape  came  crashing  along  and 
tore  one  of  his  wounded  legs  nearly  off.  He  reared  up,  shrieked, 
and  fell  back  dead.  I  did  not  move,  satisfied  that  one  place  was  as 
safe  as  another.  In  a  few  minutes  I  saw  Hart,  our  colour  sergeant, 
pass  us  with  his  right  arm  shattered ;  and  he  was  followed  by  one 
of  the  colour  guards,  bearing  our  battalion  flag — the  first  American 
flag  in  the  city  of  Monterey.  *  *  *  *  The  firing  still  continued  without 
the  slightest  intermission,  whilst  we  remained  at  this  memorable  cor 
ner,  which  was,  perhaps,  for  fifteen  minutes.  *  *  *  *  I  was  ordered 
to  shelter  my  men  from  the  fire,  and  await  further  orders ;  and  lead 
ing  them  into  the  ditch,  I  clambered  over  the  ramparts  to  observe 
what  was  going  on.  My  appearance  was  greeted  with  about  a  dozen 
musket  balls,  which  greatly  accelerated  a  retrograde  movement,  and 
2c2  39 


306 


GENERAL    BUTLER   WOUNDED 


General  Butler  wounded. 

I  sat  down  quietly  with  ten  feet  of  ground  between  me  and  the  ene 
my's  shot.  It  was  the  first  spot  I  had  been  in  for  more  than  two 
hours,  that  afforded  security  to  the  men.  It  was  here  I  learned  the 
death  of  Colonel  Watson. 

"  We  had  been  there  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  when  Captaiij, 
Ridgely's  battery  came  up  to  shelter  itself.  Its  appearance  was  the 
signal  for  the  castle  to  open  upon  us,  the  fire  from  which  killed  one 
of  the  horses  and  wounded  a  man.  Being  ordered  to  support  Cap 
tain  Bragg  in  his  efforts  to  cut  off  some  lancers,  we  succeeded  in 
killing  six  of  them,  and  driving  the  others  back  to  the  city." 

During  this  time,  General  Butler's  command  was  engaged  in  a 
spirited  struggle  with  the  enemy.  Hearing  of  the  capture  of  Fort 
Teneria,  he  had  led  his  command  against  El  Diablo,  moving  through 
a  most  destructive  fire  to  within  one  hundred  yards  of  that  work. 
Here  the  converging  fires  from  the  different  batteries  swept  through 
their  ranks,  while  flanking  fires  of  musketry  poured  forth  deadly 
showers;  which  covered  the  space  through  which  the  Americans  had 
still  to  pass.  General  Butler  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg,  but 
would  not  retire  until  he  was  exhausted  through  loss  of  blood,  when 
me  command  devolved  on  Brigadier-General  Hamer.  On  finding  the 
fort  stronger  than  had  been  anticipated,  this  officer  withdrew  his  men. 

Fragments  of  the  various  regiments  engaged  were  now  under  cover 
of  Fort  Teneria  and  some  buildings  on  its  front  and  right.  The  field 
batteries  of  Captains  Bragg  and  Ridgely  were  also  partially  covered 
by  the  fort.  An  incessant  fire  was  kept  up  on  this  position  by  tbf 


REPULSE  OF  THE  LANCERS  AND  CAVALRY.  307 

guns  of  El  Diablo,  and  other  works  on  its  right,  and  from  the  citadel. 
Here  also  General  Twiggs,  though  quite  unwell,  joined  the  com- 
raander-in-chief,  and  was  instrumental  in  causing  the  artillery  cap 
tured  from  the  enemy  to  be  placed  in  battery  and  served  by  Cap 
tain  Ridgely  against  El  Diablo,  until -the  arrival  of  Captain  Webster's 
howitzer  battery  which  took  its  place. 

Meanwhile  a  mixed  command,  collected  from  the  1st,  3d,  and  4th 
regiments  and  Baltimore  battalion,  were  ordered  to  enter  the  town, 
penetrate  to  the  right,  and  carry  if  possible  the  second  fort.  This 
party,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Garland,  advanced  beyond  a  bridge 
called  Purisima,  when,  finding  it  impracticable  to  gain  the  rear  of  the 
fortj  they  withdrew  by  order  of  the  commanding  general.  During 
the  absence  of  this  column,  a  cavalry  force  appeared  near  the  citadel, 
to  oppose  which,  Captain  Bragg,  with  a  section  of  his  artillery,  was 
advanced.  The  lancers  had  previously  charged  upon  the  Ohio  and 
a  part  of  the  Mississippi  regiments,  near  some  fields  at  a  distance 
from  the  edge  of  the  town,  and  had  been  repulsed  with  considerable 
loss.  During  the  afternoon  a  cavalry  party  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  was  also  dispersed  by  Captain  Ridgely's  battery. 

At  the  approach  of  evening  all  the  troops  that  had  been  engaged 
in  the  city  were  ordered  back  to  camp,  except  Captain  Ridgely's  bat 
tery,  and  the  regular  infantry  of  the  1st  division,  which  were  detailed 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Garland,  as  a  guard  during  the  night  for 
the  captured  works.  A  battalion  of  the  1st  Kentucky  regiment  rein 
forced  this  command.  Intrenching  tools  were  procured,  and  addi 
tional  strength  was  given  to  the  works,  and  protection  to  the  men, 
by  working  parties  during  the  night. 

HUS  the  main  object  proposed  by  Ge 
neral  Taylor  in  the  morning  had  been 
effected.  A  powerful  diversion  had 
favoured  the  operations  of  the  2d  divi 
sion,  one  of  the  enemy's.advance  works 
had  been  carried,  and  a  strong  foot 
hold  secured  in  the  town.  But  this  had 
been  attained  by  the  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  of  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
four,  including  some  of  the  most  gal 
lant  and  promising  officers  of  the  army. 
"  It  was  a  horrible  sight,"  says  an  eye 
witness,  "to  one  not  accustomed  to 
blood  and  carnage.  The  dead  lay  ir* 
1  almost  every  possible  position ;  some  of  the  wounded  were  scream 
ing  in  agony  as  they  were  hauled  off  in  wagons ;  others  lay  on  the 


308  PURSUIT   OF   THE    LANCERS. 

ground  begging  for  water  and  assistance ;  some  hobbled  along 
assisted  by  comrades ;  and  a  few,  as  we  passed,  turned  a  mute  but 
imploring  glance  as  if  they  desired  help,  and  knew  it  would  not 
be  given.  At  the  moment  it  seemed  to  me,  feeling  was  dead — the 
regiment  was  marching  rapidly  to  the  fort,  the  enemy  was  blazing  at 
it  with  their  cannon,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  expected  to  be  in  the 
midst  of  a  new  conflict.  Men's  nerves  were  strung  to  a  high  pitch, 
and  no  one  knew  but  in  an  hour  he  might  be  laid  out  also. 

"  About  six  o'clock,  P.  M.  a  chilly  rain' commenced,  which  in  a  little 
while  increased  to  a  terrific  storm.  During  a  part  of  the  night,  the 
encampment  was  almost  covered  with  water ;  no  tents  had  been  pre 
pared  for  the  wounded,  who  were  crowded  in  with  their  comrades ; 
surgical  operations  were  in  progress  all  night,  and  many  a  heroic 
soldier,  who  had  that  day  been  cool  and  collected  amid  the  uproar 
of  battle,  then  felt  as  his  ear  was  pierced  with  the  groans  of  his  com 
rades,  that  the  scenes  of  the  battle-field  are  not  the  whole  of  war." 

On  the  22d  no  active  operations  took  place  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  city.  The  sad  duty  of  burying  the  dead  and  administering  to  the 
wounded  occupied  the  principal  part  of  the  morning.  The  enemy's 
works  kept  up  a  spirited  fire  at  the  garrison  of  Fort  Teneria,  and  at 
parties  within  their  range,  and  were  answered  by  Captain  Ridgely's 
battery  and  the  guns  of  the  fort.  While  this  was  going  on,  a  scout 
reported  a  body  of  Mexican  lancers  in  the  plain,  and  General  Hen 
derson,  with  the  2d  regiment  of  Texan  rangers,  was  sent  in  pursuit. 
He  was  unable  to  find  the  enemy.  The  garrison  of  the  fort  were 
relieved  at  noon  by  General  Quitman's  brigade  of  volunteers — 
Ridgely's  battery  alone  remaining.  At  intervals  during  the  afternoon, 
and  until  after  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the  enemy  kept  up  from  their 
fortifications  and  from  the  citadel,  discharges  of  shells,  grape,  and 
round  shot. 

N  the  forenoon,  the  commander  and  his 
troops  were  gratified  by  the  sight  of  Worth's 
operations  against  the  Bishop's  Palace. 
At  that  distance,  the  long  lines  of  troops 
gaily  dressed,  the  arms  of  the  different 
squadrons,  glittering  in  the  morning  sun, 
the  rapid  evolutions,  the  volumes  of  smoke, 
and  the  final  charges,  altogether  presented 
a  grand  and  soul-stirring  spectacle.  At 
the  appearance  of  the  national  flag  on  the 
Palace,  a  wild  shout  of  joy  burst  from  the  exulting  spectators,  and 
was  angered  in  sullen  defiance  by  the  roar  of  the  enemy's  batteries. 
During  the  day,  General  Quitman  planned  several  attempts  upon  the 


THIRD    DAY    OF    THE    SIEGE. 


309 


adjacent  works ;  but  in  evening  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  line 
of  about  fifteen  hundred  Mexican  infantry,  at  some  distance  in  the 
rear  of  their  works.  The  presence  of  this  force  amounting  to  nearly 
three  times  the  general's  numbers,  and  posted  for  the  evident  pur 
pose  of  protecting  the  works,  induced  him  to  abandon  the  hope  of 
forcing  the  works  without  reinforcements.  During  the  night  several 
reconnoissances  were  made  in  the  direction  of  El  Diablo ;  while 
within  the  city,  rockets  and  other  signals  kept  up  a  communication 
between  the  enemy's  different  stations. 

Hitherto  we  have  traced  the  operations  of  the  two  sections  of  the 
army,  acting  independently.  The  duties  of  each  being  entirely  dis 
tinct,  and  acting  at  stations  naturally  separate,  it  has  been  easy  to 
avoid  confusion  in  the  description.  On  the  21st  General  Taylor's 
troops  carried  Fort  Teneria,  and  penetrated  into  the  city.  On  the 
same  day,  but  rather  later  in  the  morning,  Worth's  division  stormed 
the  two  forts  on  Federation  Hill.  On  the  following  morning  [22d] 
Worth  stormed  and  took  the  Bishop's  Palace,  thus  completing  the 
operations  for  which  his  division  had  been  detached,  at  the  same 
time  opening  an  undisputed  road  to  the  western  part  of  the  city.  On 
the  same  day,  no  advance  was  made  by  Taylor's  troops  in  the  siege. 

HE  third  day's  operations  were  en 
tirely  different.  Each  general  di 
rected  his  efforts  to  the  same  object, 
the  focus  of  attack  being  the  city 
itself.  Each,  it  is  true,  acted  as  be 
fore,  independently  of  the  other ; 
Worth  entering  on  the  west  side, 
and  penetrating  thence  to  the  cen 
tre,  and  General  Taylor  approaching 
him  from  the  east,  yet  it  was  but  a 
combined  attack  upon  the  same 
point.  This  fact  makes  the  opera 
tions  of  that  day  appear  complexed 
and  fragmentary,  and  is  likely  to 

lead  to  confusion  in  the  description.  To  avoid  this  as  much  as  pos 
sible,  the  movements  of  each  general  will  be  detailed  by  themselves, 
the  reader  bearing  in  mind  that  they  were  conducted  simultaneously. 
Early  on  the  23d,  General  Quitman  discovered  that  the  enemy 
had  abandoned,  during  the  night,  El  Diablo  and  the  works  adjacent. 
The  loss  of  the  Bishop's  Palace  had,  no  doubt,  led  to  this  step,  by 
pointing  out  the  necessity  of  concentrating  their  forces  within  the  in 
terior  strong  holds.  The  general  communicated  this  fact  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  despatched  Colonel  Davis,  with  a  portion  of 


310 


TAYLOR'S  OPERATIONS. 


Colonel  Jefferson  Davis. 

~i 

his  command,  assisted  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Anderson,  to  take  pos 
session  of  the  deserted  works.  This  was  accordingly  done.  The 
enemy  had  withdrawn  their  artillery,  so  that  nothing  of  value  was 
captured  except  some  ammunition  and  a  few  prisoners. 

From  this  work,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  cathedral  and 
part  of  the  grand  plaza,  another  redoubt,  triangular  or  half  mooned, 
was  observed,  connected  with  heavy  stone  buildings  and  walls  ad 
joining  the  block  of  the  city.  General  Quitman  was  ordered  to 
advance  towards  these  defences,  and,  if  practicable,  to  occupy  them. 
As  this  permission  was  not  absolute,  the  general  determined  to  act 
cautiously,  sending  out  a  party  of  riflemen,  under  Lieutenant  Graves, 
to  reconnoiter,  supported  at  some  distance  by  a  company  of  Tennessee 
infantry,  under  Captain  McMurray.  It  was  soon  reinforced  by  four 
companies  of  the  Mississippi  and  Tennessee  regiments,  under  Colonel 
Davis.  As  the  colonel  advanced,  armed  men  were  seen  flying  at 
his  approach.  Upon  reaching  the  triangular  redoubt,  he  found  it 
open  and  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  from  the  stone  buildings 


TAYLOR'S  OPERATIONS.  311 

and  walls  in  the  rear ;  and,  on  reporting  the  same  to  General  Quit- 
man,  He  received  orders  to  post  his  command  as  he  might  deem  ne 
cessary,  and  await  further  instructions. 

In  reconnoitering  the  place,  Colonel  Davis  received  several  shots 
from  the  enemy,  which  he  answered  by  files  of  riflemen  who  had  ad 
vanced  to  the  slope  of  a  breastwork  erected  across  the  street.  The 
enemy  increased  their  fire,  and  soon  all  the  forts  within  reach  were 
in  full  blast ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Americans,  being  rein 
forced,  poured  forth  deadly  volleys  of  rifle  shot  and  musketry,  which 
did  terrible  execution  amid  the  enemy's  ranks.  In  order  to  dislodge 
the  skirmishers  from  the  house-tops,  the  Texans  rushed  from  door  to 
door,  breaking  through  buildings,  and  through  inside  walls,  and 
mounting  to  a  level  with  the  enemy,  picking  them  off  with  the  rifle. 
Meanwhile  those  in  the  streets  rushed  from  square  to  square,  amid 
sweeping  showers  of  grape  and  musketry,  cheered  on  by  Generals 
Lamar  and  Henderson,  and  Colonel  Davis.  Buildings,  streets,  and 
courts,  were  occupied  without  much  loss,  until,  after  an  engagement 
of  five  hours,  the  Americans  found  themselves  within  two  squares  of 
the  grand  plaza.  At  this  point  General  Quitman  became  apprehen 
sive  that  the  troops  might  fall  within  range  of  Bragg's  artillery,  and 
ordered  offensive  operations  to  cease  until  the  effect  of  the  batteries, 
which  had  been  planted  in  one  of  the  principal  streets,  could  be 
seen.  Meanwhile  the  artillery,  under  Captains  Bragg  and  Ridgely, 
had  been  doing  good  service,  by  demolishing  some  works  in  front, 
and  playing  constantly  on  the  cathedral. 

Had  General  Taylor  known  the  success  of  General  Worth,  who 
had  then  approached  from  the  west  to  within  two  squares  of  the 
plaza,  he  could,  no  doubt,  by  a  concerted  movement  with  his  bro 
ther  officer,  have  forced  the  city  to  terms  that  night.  But  each  gene 
ral  was  ignorant  of  his  colleague's  position ;  and,  accordingly,  Gene 
ral  Taylor  ordered  his  troops  to  withdraw  to  the  evacuated  works, 
intending  to  concert  with  General  Worth  a  combined  operation  upon 
the  town.  Accordingly  the  troops  fell  back  deliberately,  and  in  good 
order,  to  their  original  positions ;  Quitman's  brigade  being  relieved 
after  nightfall  by  that  of  General  Hamer.  On  returning  to  camp,  the 
commander-in-chief  met  an  officer  with  the  intelligence  that  Gene 
ral  Worth,  induced  by  the  firing  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  was 
about  making  an  attack  at  the  upper  extremity,  which  had  also  been 
evacuated  by  the  enemy  to  a  considerable  distance.  A  note  from 
the  general  imparted  the  additional  information,  of  his  having  ad 
vanced  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  principal  plaza,  and  that  his 
mortar  was  there,  doing  good  execution  upon  the  enemy's  position 
Although  regretting  that  he  had  not  heard  this  before,  General  Tay 


312  WORTH'S  OPERATIONS. 

lor  did  not  deem  it  expedient  to  countermand  his  orders,  and  retired 
to  camp. 

E  now  turn  to  the  operations  of  General  Worth, 
which,  it  should  be  repeated, .were,  during 
the  greater  part  of  their  continuance,  simul 
taneous  with  those  of  the  commander-in- 
chief.  Before  daylight  of  the  23d,  General 
Worth  ordered  the  5th  infantry  to  transport 
the  captured  nine-pounder  from  Fort  Soldada 
to  a  hill  overlooking  the  town.  This  was  a 
task  of  such  difficulty,  as  to  consume  the  time 
until  nine  o'clock.  The  gun  was  soon  in  operation  upon  some 
lancers  in  the  fields  below,  who  were  driven  with  loss,  into  the  city. 
It  was  afterwards  directed  with  some  effect  against  the  cathedral. 
Meanwhile,  Lieutenant  Meade  and  Captain  McCulloch,  with  a  small 
detachment,  advanced  to  reconnoiter  the  city;  and  Major  Brown, 
with  a  section  of  McCalPs  battery,  a  company  of  the  artillery  batta 
lion,  and  two  companies  of  rangers,  were  sent  to  guard  the  strong 
pass  of  the  Saltillo  road  and  the  bridge  across  the  stream. 

About  ten  A.M.  a  heavy  firing  was  heard  from  the  eastern  quarter 
of  the  city.  Its  magnitude  and  continuance,  together  with  minor 
circumstances,  convinced  General  Worth  that  the  commanding  offi 
cer  was  conducting  a  main  attack,  and  that  orders  for  his  co-opera 
tion,  which  he  felt  certain  had  been  sent,  had  either  miscarried  in 
coming  a  circuit  of  six  miles,  or,  what  was  more  probable,  had  been 
intercepted  by  the  enemy's  numerous  cavalry  parties.  Accordingly 
he  lost  no  time  in  ordering  his  troops  to  commence  an  operation, 
which,  unless  otherwise  directed,  he  designed  executing  partly  under 
cover  of  the  night.  Two  columns  of  attack  were  organized,  to  move 
along  the  two  principal  streets,  leading  from  his  position  towards  the 
grand  plaza.  The  right  column  consisted  of  four  companies  of  the 
7th  infantry,  and  Captain  Holmes,  with  a  twelve-pound  howitzer  of 
McCall's  battery,  under  Lieutenant  Martin ;  the  left  column,  of  four 
companies  of  the  8th  infantry,  under  Captain  Screven,  with  two  six- 
pounders  of  McCall's  battery.  Colonel  Hays's  rangers  were  with  the 
right  column,  those  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  with  the  left. 
Major  Vinton,  with  four  companies  of  the  artillery  battalion,  formed 
the  reserve.  The  whole  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Childs.  Worth's  orders  were  to  avoid  the  points  swept  by  the  ene 
my's  artillery;  to  press  on  the  first  plaza  (capella) ;  to  gain  possession 
of  the  ends  of  the  streets  beyond  it,  then  enter  the  buildings,  and  by 
means  of  picks  and  bars  break  through  the  longitudinal  sections  of 
the  walls ;  work  from  house  to  house,  and  mounting  the  roofs,  to 


r 


2  D 


40 


WORTH'S  OPERATIONS.  315 

place  themselves  on  the  same,  breast-high,  with  the  enemy.  The 
light  artillery  forming  the  reserve,  was  to  follow  at  suitable  intervals, 
covered  by  parties  to  guard  the  pieces. 

Colonel  Childs,  with  the  left  column,  reached  the  Plaza  Capella 
without  opposition ;  but  on  entering  one  in  advance,  [Plaza  de 
Carne,]  he  was  fired  upon  by  musketry  from  the  house-tops.  The  other 
column  had  also  advanced  without  much  interruption  until  within 
four  squares  of  the  grand  plaza,  when  it  experienced  so  terrible  a 
fire  as  to  render  farther  advance  impossible.  Soon  after  General 
Worth  arrived  in  the  Plaza  de  Carne,  and  intrusted  the  command  to 
Brevet  Brigadier- General  Smith.  The  terrible  scene  that  ensued, 
is  so  ably  described  by  Reid,  that  we  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote, 
with  some  little  alteration  of  the  language.  "  Every  street  was  bar 
ricaded  with  heavy  works  of  masonry,  the  walls  being  some  three  or 
four  feet  thick,  with  embrasures  for  one  or  more  guns,  which  raked 
the  streets ;  the  walls  of  gardens  and  sides  of  houses  were  all  loop- 
holed  for  musketry ;  the  tops  of  the  houses  were  covered  with  troops, 
who  were  sheltered  behind  parapets  some  four  feet  high,  upon  which 
were  piled  sand  bags,  for  their  better  protection,  and  from  which  they 
showered  down  a  hurricane  of  balls. 

"Between  three  and  four  o'clock  it  became  evident,  from  the  ces 
sation  of  the  firing  in  the  opposite  direction,  that  the  enemy  had 
become  disengaged,  and  were  consequently  enabled  to  draw  off  men 
and  guns  to  our  side,  as  their  fire  had  now  almost  doubly  increased. 
The  street-fight  became  appalling — both  columns  were  closely  en 
gaged  with  the  enemy,  and  steadily  advanced,  inch  by  inch — our 
artillery  was  heard  rumbling  over  the  paved  streets,  galloping  here 
and  there,  as  the  emergency  required,  and  pouring  forth  a  blazing 
fire  of  grape  and  ball — volley  after  volley  of  musketry,  united  with 
continued  peals  of  artillery,  which  was  almost  deafening.  The  artil 
lery  of  both  sides  raked  the  streets,  the  balls  striking  the  houses  with 
a  terrible  crash,  while  amid  the  roar  of  battle  were  heard  the  battering 
instruments  used  by  the  Texans.  Doors  were  forced  open,  walls 
were  battered  down,  entrances  made  through  the  longitudinal  walls, 
and  the  enemy  driven  from  room  to  room  and  from  house  to  house, 
followed  by  the  shrieks  of  women  and  the  sharp  crack  of  the  Texan 
rifles.  Cheer  after  cheer  was  heard  in  proud  and  exulting  defiance, 
as  the  Texans  or  regulars  gained  the  house-tops  by  means  of  lad 
ders,  while  they  poured  in  a  rain  of  bullets  upon  the  enemy  on  the 
opposite  houses.  ************** 

"  The  column  of  Colonel  Childs  sustained  a  dreadful  fire  in  the 
plaza,  and  while  forcing  its  way  up  the  streets.  Amid  this  storm  of 
destruction,  the  daring  Captain  Gatlin,  of  the  7th  infantry,  was  se- 


316 


WORTHS    OPERATIONS. 


rerely  wounded  in  the  arm,  while  gallantly  leading  on  his  company. 
This  column  had  now  moved  forward  two  squares,  both  sides  of  the 
plaza  being  occupied  by  our  troops ;  while  Walker's  Texans  were 
working  their  way  towards  the  enemy  through  that  line  of  buildings 
by  means  of  pickaxes  and  their  rifles.  Captains  Screven  and  Mer 
rill  had  advanced  so  far  as  to  gain  a  line  of  buildings  to  the  east,  and 
were  driving  the  enemy  before  them.  The  two  companies  of  the 
5th  were  commanded  by  Lieutenants  McPhail  and  Farrelly,  who 
maintained  their  advanced  position,  keeping  up  a  fire  upon  the  enemy, 
occupying  the  houses  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  the  next  street  beyond, 
which  was  used  by  the  enemy  as  the  principal  thoroughfare  to  the 
citadel.  ***************** 

"  We  had  now  gained  possession  of  the  city  on  the  west  side,  to 
within  one  square  of  the  cathedral  plaza,  where  the  Mexican  forces 
were  concentrated,  having  also  carried  a  large  building  in  the  Plaza 
de  Carne,  which  overlooked  the  principal  defences  in  the  city,  on  the 
roof  of  which  were  placed,  during  the  night,  two  howitzers,  for  the 
purpose  of  raking  the  house-tops  on  the  morrow." 

PARTICIPATOR  in  this  ter 
rible  battle  vividly  describes 
the  effect  produced  upon  the 
inhabitants  by  the  American 
artillery : 

"  The  flag  of  the  Spanish 
consul  was  pierced  in  a  hun 
dred  places ;  the  iron  bow 
windows  of  the  houses,  which 
projected  but  a  few  inches 
into  the  streets,  were  torn  and 
rent  asunder  by  round  shot 
The  city  had  been  partially 
deserted  by  the  inhabitants, 
still  many  women  were  seen 
in  the  doorways  and  streets, 
and  even  where  the  battle  was  raging,  freely  offering  our  men  oranges 
and  other  fruits.  They  seemed  impressed  with  the  belief  that  we 
would  conquer,  and  used  this  means  to  obtain  our  protection.  Many 
ladies  of  the  better  class — the  wives  and  daughters  of  civil  function 
aries,  merchants,  and  officers  of  the  army — remained  in  their  houses, 
determined  to  abide  the  issue  of  the  siege.  In  one  room  in  particu 
lar,  into  which  our  men  had  picked  an  entrance  through  a  wall  of 
massive  thickness,  a  large  number  of  females  was  found.  They  were 
alarmed  to  a  degree  painful  to  behold,  filled  as  their  ears  had  been 


with  stories  of  the  brutality  of  the  Americans  of  the  north,  so  that  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  convinced  them  of  their 
safety.'* 

General  Worth  continued  his  operations  until  after  dark,  when  he 
received  a  communication  from  General  Smith,  stating  that  the  latter 
could  hold  all  his  positions  during  the  night.  This  determined  Worth 
to  withdraw  none  of  his  troops,  save  a  few  Texans  on  the  river  side 
of  the  town.  The  night-scene  of  the  23d  was  grand  and  melancholy. 
The  thick  darkness  was  often  interrupted  by  flaming  bombs,  and  the 
silence  by  the  roar  of  cannon.  "  Soldiers  and  officers,"  says  the  ex 
cellent  authority  we  have  several  times  quoted,  "  occupied  the  plaza 
and  the  tops  of  houses,  keeping  a  strict  guard  upon  the  movements 
of  the  enemy.  The  Texans,  under  Hays,  encamped  at  the  base  of 
the  Bishop's  Palace,  and  a  strong  picket  guard  was  posted  in  the 
rear,  while  those  under  Walker  kept  their  position  near  the  post-office. 
At  dark  the  mortar,  which  had  been  embedded  in  the  cemetery,  and 
masked  by  the  church  wall,  opened  its  fire  upon  the  grand  plaza, 
under  the  direction  of  Major  Munroe.  The  first  bomb  fell  a  little 
short ;  but  the  projecting  charge  being  increased,  produced  exact 
results,  which  soon  caused  a  return  fire,  with  shells,  from  the  enemy's 
howitzers.  The  night  was  cloudy,  and  the  winds  of  a  foreboding 
storm  freshened  on  the  sultry  air ;  scattered  clouds  chased  each  other 
through  the  sky ;  below  lay  the  city,  wrapped  in  the  drapery  of  dark 
ness  whose  folds  covered  the  dreadful  scene  of  the  carnage  and  ruin 
of  its  streets,  where  lay  dead  horses,  demolished  masonry,  broken 
arms,  and  cast  off  accoutrements  of  soldiers.  Batteries  of  artillery 
were  drawn  up  in  the  plazas,  in  which,  and  on  the  tops  of  the  sur 
rounding  houses,  were  sentineled  our  troops.  Farther  yet  towards 
the  cathedral,  confusion  and  disorder  marked  the  Mexicans'  defeat ; 
beautiful  gardens  and  villas  lay  in  ruins ;  their  works  of  art  were  de 
molished,  and  their  dead  lay  on  the  house-tops  and  in  the  streets, 
while  the  grand  plaza  swarmed  with  their  concentrated  forces, 
and  a  desolation  and  despair  prevailed  among  their  army.  For  a 
moment  all  was  hushed  in  darkness ;  peace  seemed  to  hover  over 
the  scene  of  ruin  and  strife,  and  waving  her  branch  of  olive,  to 
command  the  contending  parties  to  cease  the  wild  war  of  blood 
shed  and  devastation.  It  was  but  for  a  moment ;  for  soon  bombs 
and  shells  were  crossing  each  other,  as  they  rose  in  the  heavens  to 
the  height  of  their  curve,  gleaming  through  the  air  like  fiery  comets, 
and  then  bursting  with  a  loud  report.  The  view  at  this  time,  from 
the  Bishop's  Palace,  was  magnificent.  No  .further  incident  oc 
curred  during  the  night.  The  wounded  were  removed  to  Arista's 
hacienda,  which  was  converted  into  a  hospital,  and  every  prepara- 


320 


MORALESS  LETTER  TO  TAYLOR. 


tion  was  made  to  renew  the  attack  on  the  coming  morning  with  re 
doubled  vigour." 

T  noon  of  this  day,  while  the  battle 
was  raging  with  great  fury,  Genera/ 
Taylor  received  from  General  Mo 
rales,  governor  of  the  -state  of  New 
Leon,  the  following  communication  : 

"  As  you  are  resolved  to  occupy  the 
place  by  force  of  arms,  and  the  Mexi 
can  general-in-chief  is  resolved  to  de 
fend  it  at  every  cost,  as  his  honour  and 
duty  require  him  to  do,  thousands  of 
victims,  who,  from  indigence  and  wani 
of  means,  find  themselves  now  in  the 
theatre  of  war,  and  who  would  be  use 
lessly  sacrificed,  claim  the  right  which 
in  all  times  and  in  all  countries,  hu 
manity  extends.  As  governor  of  the  state,  and  a  legitimate  repre 
sentative  of  the  people,  I  state  their  case  to  you,  and  hope,  from  youi 
civilization  and  refinement,  that,  whatever  may  be  the  event  of  the 
present  contest,  you  will  issue  orders  that  families  shall  be  respected, 
or  will  grant  a  reasonable  time  for  them  to  leave  the  capital." 

Through  a  mistake  of  the  Mexicans,  this  note  was  first  sent  to 
General  Worth,  who  transmitted  it  to  the  commander-in-chief.  The 
latter  replied  as  follows : 

"  The  communication  of  your  excellency,  of  this  morning,  I  have 
just  received,  and  in  answer  to  your  excellency,  I  have  to  inform 
you,  that  the  rights  of  individuals  who  are  not  hostile,  particularly 
women  and  children,  will  be  respected  as  much  as  is  possible  in  a 
state  of  warlike  operations ;  but  they  cannot  be  permitted  to  leave 
the  city.  The  advantages  achieved  by  the  American  arms  are  too 
decisive  to  permit  of  any  other  terms  than  the  capitulation  of  the 
city  ;  and  the  sooner  this  is  effected,  the  better  for  those  interested." 
Thus,  after  three  days'  fighting,  the  Americans  had  driven  an 
enemy  nearly  double  their  number  from  all  their  out-positions,  and 
surrounded  them  in  such  a  manner,  that  they  must  either  surrender, 
or  evacuate  the  city.  Yet  the  citadel  and  grand  plaza  were  the 
strongest  defences  of  the  town ;  and  no  one  of  the  assailants  imagined 
but  that  a  more  terrible  drama  than  any  yet  witnessed  was  to  be 
played  on  the  morrow. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


CAPITULATION    OF   MONTEREY. 


EFORE   daylight  on   the  24th,  the    Texans  recom 
menced  operations  against  the  western  side  of  the 
plaza.      Soon  a  large   portion  of  Worth's   division 
were  in  the  streets ;  and  long  before  the  sun  arose, 
the  din  of  battle  filled  the  streets,  and  stirred  on  the 
Americans  to  further  and  complete  conquests.     Sud 
denly  bugles  were  heard  from  the  enemy's  quarters, 
sounding  a  parley ;  all  offensive  operations  immediately  ceased,  and 
soon  a  white  flag  was  seen  approaching,  together  with  several  officers. 
It  was  borne  by  Colonel  Moreno,  inspector-general  of  the  Mexi 
can  army,  who  also  carried  a  letter  addressed  to  General  Taylor. 

41  (321) 


322  PROPOSITION   TO    SURRENDER. 

The  colonel  proceeded  to  Fort  Diablo,  whence  he  was  conducted 
by  Lieutenant- Colonel  Rogers  to  Fort  Teneria,  and  introduced  to 
Gen-eral  Hamer.  By  that  officer  he  was  furnished  with  an  escort  to 
Walnut  Springs,  where  Genefal  Taylor  then  was.  He  delivered  to 
the  commander-in- chief  the  following  note  from  General  Ampudia, 
written  at  nine  o'clock  the  previous  evening. 

"  Having  made  the  defence  of  which  I  believe  this  city  susceptible, 
I  have  fulfilled  my  duty,  and  have  satisfied  that  military  honour 
which  in  a  certain  manner  is  common  to  all  armies  of  the  civilized 
world. 

"  To  prosecute  the  defence,  therefore,  would  only  result  in  distress 
to  the  population,  who  have  already  suffered  enough  from  the  misfor 
tune  consequent  on  war ;  and  taking  it  for  granted,  that  the  Ameri 
can  government  has  manifested  a  disposition  to  negotiate,  I  propose 
to  you,  to  evacuate  the  city  and  its.  fort,  taking  with  me  the  personel 
and  materiel  which  have  remained,  and  under  the  assurance  that  no 
harm  shall  ensue  to  the  inhabitants  who  have  taken  a  part  in  the 
defence." 

Immediately  after  reading  this  note,  General  Taylor  is  said  to  have 
expressed  his  determination  not  to  comply  with  its  request.  His  an 
swer  is  annexed : 

"  In  answer  to  your  proposition  to  evacuate  the  city  and  fort  with 
all  the  personel  and  materiel  of  war,  I  have  to  state  that  my  duty 
compels  me  to  decline  acceding  to  it.  A  complete  surrender  of  the 
town  and  garrison,  the  latter  as  prisoners  of  war,  is  now  demanded. 
But  such  surrender  will  be  upon  terms  and  the  gallant  defence  of  the 
place  creditable  alike  to  the  Mexican  troops  and  nation,  will  prompt 
me  to  make  those  terms  as  liberable  as  possible.  The  garrison  will 
be  allowed  at  your  option,  after  laying  down  its  arms,  to  retire  to 
the  interior  on  condition  of  not  serving  again  during  the  war  or  until 
regularly  exchanged.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  rights  of  con-com 
batants  will  be  respected. 

"  An  answer  to  this  communication  is  required  by  twelve  o'clock. 
If  you  assent  to  an  accommodation  an  officer  will  be  despatched  at 
once  under  instructions  to  arrange  the  conditions." 

Such  an  answer  was  totally  unexpected  by  Ampudia.  Throughout 
the  whole  siege  he  had  behaved  in  a  manner  strangely  contrasting 
with  his  former  boasting  proclamations,  and  unworthy  of  the  high 
trust  granted  him  as  commandant  of  a  capital  city.  It  is  stated 
on  good  authority,  that  on  receiving  General  Taylor's  note,  he 
evinced  such  unmanly  timidity  as  authorized  his  officers  to  believe 
that  he  would  surrender  at  discretion,  and  that  it  w?s  alone  through 
their  earnest  entreaties  not  to  be  so  disgraced,  that  he  consented  still 


PROPOSED   TERMS   OF   SURRENDER. 

to  negotiate.  Accordingly,  long  before  the  expiration  of  the  time 
appointed  by  the  American  general  for  receiving  an  answer,  he  de 
sired  a  personal  interview  at  a  house  named  by  himself.  This  was 
agreed  to  by  General  Taylor,  and  at  the  appointed  time  and  place 
the  two  commanders  met,  [September  24th,]  each  attended  by  several 
officers.  After  the  usual  preliminaries,  Ampudia  announced,  as 
official  information,  that  commissioners  from  the  United  States  had 
been  received  by  the  government  of  Mexico,  and  that  a  revolution 
had  taken  place  in  his  country,  since  his  assuming  command  of  Mon 
terey,  which  virtually  nullified  the  orders  to  defend  that  place.  A 
conversation  followed,  during  which  General  Taylor  became  con 
vinced  that  Ampudia's  object  was  merely  to  gain  time,  and  conse 
quently  he  arose  to  end  the  conference.  One  of  the  Mexican  officers 
then  suggested  the  appointment  of  several  commissioners  from  ^each 
army,  with  power  to  negotiate  terms  of  capitulation.  Ampudia  as 
sented.  Generals.  Worth  and  Henderson,  and  Colonel  Jefferson 
Davis  were  named  on  the  part  of  the  Americans,  and  General  J.  La 
Ortega,  General  P.  Requena  and  Senor  M.  La  Llano,  governor  of 
the  province,  on  that  of  the  Mexicans. 

To  these  six  individuals  the  negotiations  for  the  fate  of  Monterey 
were  intrusted.  They  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  confi 
dence  of  their  respective  commanders  ;  and  both  parties  were  grati 
fied  at  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  termination  of  active  hostilities. 
General  Taylor  gave  verbal  instructions  to  his  commissioners,  on 
which  they  afterwards  based  the  following  articles. 

I.  As  the  legitimate  result  of   the  operations  before  this  place, 
and  the  present  condition  of  the  contending  armies,  we  demand  the 
surrender  of  the  town,  the  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  and  all  other 
public  property  within  the  place. 

II.  That  the  Mexican  armed  force  retire  beyond  the  Rinconada, 
Linares,  and  San  Fernando  on  the  coast. 

III.  The  commanding  general  of  the  army  of  the  United  States 
agrees    that    the    Mexican    officers    reserve    their   side    arms  and 
private  baggage ;  and  the  troops  be  allowed  to  retire  under  their 
officers  without  parole,  a  reasonable  time  being  allowed  to  withdraw 
their  forces. 

IV.  The  immediate,  delivery  of  the  main  work  now  occupied  to 
the  army  of  the  United  States. 

V.  To  avoid  collisions,  and  for  mutual  convenience,  the  troops  of 
the  United  States  shall  not  occupy  the  town  until  the  Mexican  forces 
have  been  withdrawn,  except  for  hospital  purposes,  &c. 

VI.  The  commanding  general  of  the  United  States  agrees  not  to 
advance  beyond  the  line  specified  in  the  second  section  before  the 


324         AGREEMENT   OF   THE    COMMISSIONERS. 


expiration  of  eight  weeks,  or  until  the  respective  governments  can 
be  heard  from. 

The  Mexican  commissioners  refused  to  yield  the  city  on  these 
terms,  and  presented  a  counter  proposition,  in  which,  among  other 
material  items,  they  demanded  permission  for  their  soldiers  to  retire 
into  the  interior  with  their  arms.  This  was  urged  not  only  as  a 
matter  of  soldierly  pride,  but  of  the  ordinary  courtesy  extended  by 
one  gallant  army  towards  another.  As  the  American  commissioners 
had  no  power  to  accede  to  such  terms,  the  meeting  rose  to  report 
disagreement. 

N  hearing  this  result,  and  its  cause, 
General  Ampudia  entered  into  a 
long   address   to   prove  that,  al 
though  it  was  his  anxious  desire 
to  avoid  further  bloodshed,  yet  the  point 
of  disagreement  between  the  negotiators  so 
far  involved  the  honour  of  his  country,  that 
he  could  not  yield.     General  Taylor  hav 
ing  expressed  his  wish  that  no  more  blood 
— ^«^^_r^^-u  might  be   shed,    the   commission    met   a 
second  time,  the  Americans  being  author 
ized  to  concede  the  small  arms. 

The  difficulty,  however,  was  not  yet  settled.  The  Mexicans 
evinced  that  one  concession  had  merely  whetted  their  appetite  for 
more,  and  they  now  demanded  that  the  artillery  might  be  withdrawn, 
since  it  would  appear  discreditable  for  that  arm  to  remain,  after  all 
others  had  been  withdrawn.  The  commission  again  rose.  On  ascer 
taining  the  point  of  disagreement,  that  more  was  demanded  than  the 
middle  ground  upon  which  the  negotiation  had,  out  of  courtesy,  been 
placed,  General  Taylor  arose,  with  a  determination  to  close  the  con 
ference.  While  crossing  the  room  he  was  addressed  by  a  Mexican 
officer,  and  some  conversation  ensued.  At  this  time  General  Worth 
requested  permission  to  address  some  remarks  to  General  Ampudia, 
the  spirit  of  which  was — that  which  he  had  manifested  throughout  the 
negotiation — generosity  and  leniency,  with  a  desire  to  prevent  further 
bloodshed.  After  considerable  conversation,  the  commission  assem 
bled  once  more,  and,  after  much  delay,  agreed  on  the  following  terms  : 
ART.  I.  As  the  legitimate  result  of  the  operations  before  this  place, 
and  the  present  position  of  the  contending  armies,  it  is  agreed  that 
the  city,  the  fortifications,  cannon,  the  munitions  of  war,  and  ill 
other  public  property,  with  the  undermentioned  exceptions,  be  sur 
rendered  to  the  commanding  general  of  the  United  States  forces,  now 
at  Monterey. 


TERMS    OF   CAPITULATION. 


325 


ART.  II.  That  the  Mexican  forces  be  allowed  to  retain  the  following 

i  O 

arms,  to  wit :  the  commissioned  officers  their  side-arms ;  the  infantry 
their  arms  and  accoutrements ;  the  cavalry  their  arms  and  accoutre 
ments  ;  the  artillery  one  field  battery,  not  to  exceed  six  pieces,  with 
twenty-one  rounds  of  ammunition. 

ART.  III.  That  the  Mexican  armed  forces  retire,  within  seven  days 
from  this  date,  beyond  the  line  formed  by  the  pass  of  Rinconada,  the 
city  of  Linares,  and  San  Fernando  de  Presas. 

ART.  IV.  That  the  citadel  of  Monterey  be  evacuated  by  the  Mexi 
can,  and  occupied  by  the  American  forces,  to-morrow  morning,  at 
ten  o'clock. 

ART  V.  To  avoid  collision,  and  for  mutual  convenience,  that  the 
troops  of  the  United  States  will  not  occupy  the  city  until  the  Mexican 
forces  have  withdrawn,  except  for  hospital  and  storage  purposes. 

ART.  VI.  That  the  forces  of  the  United  States  will  not  advance 
beyond  the  line  specified  in  the  2d  [3d]  article  before  the  expiration 
of  eight  weeks,  or  until  the  orders  or  instructions  of  the  respective 
governments  can  be  received. 

ART.  VII.  That  the  public  property  to  be  delivered  shall  be  turned 
over,  and  received  by  officers  appointed  by  the  commanding  gene 
rals  of  the  two  armies. 

ART.  VIII.  That  all  doubts  as  to  the  meaning  of  any  of  the  preced 
ing  articles  shall  be  solved  by  an  equitable  construction,  and  on  prin 
ciples  of  liberality  to'  the  retiring  army. 

ART.  IX.  That  the  Mexican  flag,  when  struck  at  the  citadel,  may 
be  saluted  by  its  own  battery 

FTER  a  short  recess,  the  Ame 
rican  commissioners  again  re 
paired  to  the  room  in  which 
they  had  parted  from  the  Mex 
icans.  The  latter  were  tardy 
in  joining  them,  as  well  as  in 
completing  the  instruments  of 
capitulation.  The  first  six  ar 
ticles  only  had  been  agreed  to, 
and  the  remaining  three  were 
added  during  this  session.  At 
a  late  hour  the  English  original 
was  handed  to  General  Taylor, 
for  his  examination,  and  the 
Spanish  original  to  Ampudia. 
Taylor  signed  the  instrument,  and  delivered  it  to  Colonel  Davis,  who 
returned  to  receive  the  Spanish  copy,  with  the  signature  of  General 
2E 


CAPITULATION    OF    MONTEREY. 

Ampudia,  and  to  deliver  the  one  having  General  Taylor's  signature, 
so  that  each  general  might  countersign  the  original  to  be  retained  by 
the  other.  Instead  of  signing  the  instrument,  Ampudia  came  in  per 
son  to  meet  the  commissioners.  To  the  astonishment  of  all,  he  began 
to  dispute  on  many  points  which  had  been  considered  as  settled, 
and  evinced  a  disposition  to  make*  the  Spanish  instrument  vary  essen 
tially  from  the  English.  After  a  tedious  parley,  the  Mexican  chief 
was  requested  to  sign  the  copy  prepared  for  his  own  commissioners, 
the  English  original  being  at  the  same  time  left  with  him,  so  that, 
according  to  promise,  he  might  have  it  translated  during  the  night, 
and  be  ready  in  the  morning  with  a  Spanish  duplicate  of  the  English 
copy  left  with  him.  The  two  would  thus  be  made  to  correspond, 
and  he  would  be  compelled  to  admit  his  knowledge  of  the  English 
original  before  he  signed. 

The  commission  met  on  the  following  morning,  when  Ampudia 
renewed  his  efforts  to  gain  something  more  than  what  was  conceded 
by  the  original  agreement.  At  his  request  the  Americans  had  pre 
viously  adopted  the  word  "  capitulation,"  instead  of  "  surrender,"  and 
he  now  wished  to  substitute  "  stipulation"  for  capitulation.  It  had 
now  become  evident  that  he  did  not  wish  to  sign  at  all,  but  was 
merely  quibbling  about  names  and  terms.  It  became  necessary 
peremptorily  to  demand  his  imm'ediate  signing  of  the  English  instru 
ment.  The  Spanish  instrument  first  signed  by  Ampudia  was  de 
stroyed  in  the  presence  of  his  commissioners,  and  the  translation  of 
the  American  instrument  was  countersigned  by  General  Taylor  and 
delivered. 

Thus  the  tedious  and  intricate  operations  before  Monterey  were 
brought  to  a  close,  and  nothing  further  remained  but  for  the  Mexi 
cans  to  resign  the  command  to  their  victorious  opponents.  On  the 
part  of  General  Taylor  the  terms  of  capitulation  were  strictly  observed, 
no  soldier  being  permitted  to  enter  the  city,  unless  wounded,  until 
the  enemy  had  begun  to  leave  it. 

The  ceremony  of  evacuation  commenced  on  the  25th.  General 
Worth  was  intrusted  with  the  superintendence  of  it.  The  citadel 
surrendered  first.  On  each  side  of  the  road  leading  to  it,  the  Ameri 
can  army  was  drawn  up  in  line,  accompanied  by  the  commander-in- 
chief  and  other  distinguished  officers.  Worth  appointed  a  force, 
under  brevet  Brigadier-General  Smith,  to  take  possession  of  the  forti 
fication.  As  the  time  approached,  the  heavy  roar  of  cannon  mingled 
with  the  sounds  of  the  Mexican  bugle,  and  the  swelling  music  from 
the  military  bands  announced  the  commencement  of  the  surrender. 
The  tri-coloured  flag  was  slowly  lowered,  and  soon  unfolding 
proudly  in  its  stead,  amid  the  shouts  of  the  victorious  army,  the 


EVACUATION   OF    MONTEREY. 


327 


General  Worth. 

star-spangled  banner  was  flung  over  the  battlements.  Sadly  and 
silently  the  garrison  moved  from  its  gates,  with  their  humiliated  gaze 
bent  towards  the  earth,  and  sustained  apparently  only  by  the  wild 
uproar  around.  It  was  a  thrilling  scene ;  and,  as  the  veterans  of 
Taylor's  army  filed  towards  the  entrance,  shout  after  shout  rung, 
with  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Americans  be 
came  almost  uncontrollable.  Strains  of  martial  music  exhilarated 
every  spirit,  and  soon  the  immense  pile,  which  had  so  often  enabled 
a  handful  of  men  to  resist  an  army,  during  the  civil  dissensions  of 
Mexico,  was  in  undisputed  possession  of  the  American  troops. 

The  city  was  evacuated  by  degrees.  The  first  division  of  Ampu- 
dia's  army  marched  out  on  the  26th  ;  the  second  division,  commanded 
by  Ampudia  in  person,  on  the  following  day ;  and  the  remainder 
left  on  the  28th.  The  cavalry  rode  away  in  small  detachments. 
They  were  accompanied  by  men,  women,  and  children,  of  every 
grade,  colour,  and  condition,  on  foot  and  riding,  some  carrying  im 
mense  burdens,  and  others  supported  by  their  friends.  A  sadness 
was  spread  over  the  countenances  of  that  motley  assembly,  and  over 


328  LOSSES    OF   BOTH   ARMIES. 

a  few  was  the  dark,  determined  expression  which  betokens  mischief. 
Riding  beside  General  Ampudia  was  Colonel  Bailie  Peyton,  followed 
by  Major  Scott,  of  the  5th  [American]  infantry,  and  Lieutenants  Deas, 
Hanson,  Robinson,  and  McLaws.  The  chief  evidently  appeared 
uneasy,  and  he  was  observed  frequently  to  throw  his  eyes  round  with 
a  hurried,  restless  expression,  as  though  fearful  of  treachery. 

When  the  enemy  had  retired,  the  American  commander  appointed 
General  Worth  commander  of  the  city,  and  quartered  his  division 
within  its  walls.  The  remaining  troops  still  encamped  at  Walnut 
Springs.  The  strength  and  number  of  the  defences  was,  to  both  sol 
dier  and  officer,  a  source  of  admiration  and  astonishment.  In  a  former 
part  of  the  narrative  a  description  of  the  principal  of  these  has  been 
given ;  but  no  description  can  convey  any  but  a  very  faint  idea  of 
the  fortifications  of  this  famous  city.  From  the  east  end,  where 
General  Taylor  began  his  attack,  to  the  main  plaza  in  the  centre, 
fort  was  piled  on  fort,  to  a  degree  of  strength  that  seemed  to  laugh 
at  any  effort  of  artillery.  Every  house  was  a  defence  ;  every  roof  a 
barricade  ;  the  east  half  of  the  city  was  one  great  military  pile.  Com 
munications  were  established  between  the  rows  of  buildings,  so  that 
thousands  of  troops  could  pass  and  repass,  unseen  by  an  enemy,  from 
the  plaza  to  the  extremity  of  the  city,  in  perfect  security.  It  must 
ever  remain  a  matter  of  astonishment,  that  General  Taylor's  com 
mand,  after  entering  the  city,  was  not  utterly  annihilated.  Monterey 
was  won  at  a  sacrifice  proportionate  to  its  importance.  The  whole 
number  of  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  was  five  hundred  and 
sixty-one,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  were  killed,  three 
hundred  and  ninety-two  wounded,  and  eleven  missing.  The  total 
force  of  the  assailants  did  not  exceed  seven  thousand  men.  Neither 
the  number  of  the  enemy,  nor  their  loss,  has  ever  been  correctly 
ascertained.  At  the  commencement  they  probably  exceeded  ten 
thousand.  Ampudia  reported  to  the  secretary  of  war  a  loss  of  five 
officers  and  one  hundred  and  seventeen  privates  killed ;  twenty-three 
officers,  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  men  wounded ;  one  officer  and 
eight. men  "injured,"  and  sixty-three  wounded;  making  in  all  four 
hundred  and  thirty-eight.  But  this  is  doubtless  much  below  the 
actual  number. 

Having  already  described  each  movement  of  the  American  army, 
during  the  three  days'  battle,  little  need  be  said  of  its  achievements 
by  way  of  comment.  All  the  causes  which  have  been  given  as  ex 
planation  to  the  remarkable  fact  that  seven  thousand  men  stormed 
the  defences  of  Monterey,  although  garrisoned  by  a  much  superior 
number,  must  be  narrowed  down  to  one,  the  military  superiority  of 
tlie  American  soldier.  Had  the  skill  and  bravery  of  the  Mexican 


AMPUDIA'S  DESPATCH.  329 

been  equal  to  those  of  his  antagonist,  it  requires  a  mere  effort  of  com 
mon  sense  to  determine  that,  by  fair  battle,  the  city  could  never  have 
been  carried  No  weakness,  then,  of  the  commanding  general,  no 
combination  of  unexpected  events,  fortuitous  to  the  assailants,  no 
effect  of  the  loss  of  Federation  and  Independence  Hills,  can  be 
pleaded  as  an  adequate  excuse  for  Mexican  inefficiency,  or  in  dero 
gation  of  American  superiority.  Every  fairly  fought  battle  ever  won, 
was  won  in  consequence  of  military  superiority ;  it  is  the  conscious 
ness  of  this  superiority  that  forms  a  sense  of  glory ;  and  'the  greater 
the  degree  in  which  it  exists,  the  more  the  glory.  Judging,  then,  by 
this  rule,  we  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the  storming  of  Monterey 
was  one  of  the  most  glorious  achievements  of  modern  warfare. 
General  Ampudia  announced  the  fall  of  Monterey  in  a  letter  con 
trasting  singularly  with  his  pompous  threatenings  prior  to  the  siege. 
In  any  civilized  country  he  would  have  been  court-martialed  and 
shot  for  his  most  shameful  and  cowardly  conduct  during  the  whole 
assault ;  but  we  find  him,  in  the  most  cool  and  impudent  manner, 
appropriating  credit  to  himself,  and  excusing  the  capitulation  by  false 
hoods  which  stand  in  direct  contrast  with  his  previous  assertions. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  22d,"  he  says,  "  General  Taylor  directed 
his  columns  of  attack  against  the  Bishop's  Hill,  an  elevation  command 
ing  the  city,  and  although  in  their  first  advance  they  were  repulsed  in 
a  skirmish,  a  full  brigade  of  regular  troops  returned  to  the  charge.  Un 
fortunately,  two  pieces  of  cannon  and  a  mortar,  which  defended  the 
position,  got  out  of  order,  and  became  useless ;  and  although,  as  soon 
as  advised  of  it,  I  sent  a  reinforcement  of  infantry,  with  two  pieces 
of  light  artillery,  to  their  aid,  it  reached  the  hill  too  late  ;  the  enemy 
had  already  succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  the  castle.  This 
accident  compelled  me  to  concentrate  my  force  in  the  plaza,  in  order 
to  present  to  the  foe  a  more  vigorous  defence,  and  to  repel  on  the 
23d,  as  was  done,  the  assaults  made  by  them  through  the  streets  and 
bouses  of  the  city.  But  as,  under  these  circumstances,  I  suffered 
great  scarcity  of  ammunition  and  provisions,  and  in  spite  of  the  ardour 
with  which  the  entire  army,  both  regulars  and  auxiliaries,  were  ani 
mated,  I  proposed  to  the  American  general  a  parley,  which  resulted 
in  an  understanding  by  which  the  honour  of  the  nation  and  the  army, 
the  personnel  of  the  division  under  my  command,  its  arms  and  equip 
ments,  were  preserved. 

"  This  is  a  true  statement  of  the  operations  of  the  campaign  up  to 
the  24th  instant;  and  if  an  inadequate  supply  of  means,  and  other 
circumstances,  have  led  to  this  result,  we  have  yet  no  cause  for  a 
moment's  dismay,  for  the  republic  will  now  put  forward  all  her  ele 
ments  of  greatness,  and,  with  one  single  victory,  which  we  may, 
2E2  42 


330  GENERAL   SALAS's   PROCLAMATION. 

shall,  and  must  obtain,  will  solve  the  problem  definitely  in  favour  of 


our  arms.': 


The  "great  scarcity  of  ammunition,"  of  which  Ampudia  com 
plains,  was  such  that,  in  the  language  of  an  eye  witness,  cords  of  it 
were  found  in  the  citadel  alone ;  and  a  careful  writer  says  that  the 
cathedral  was  piled  as  high  as  the  surrounding  houses  with  am 
munition  and  military  stores.  Sixty  thousand  musket  cartridges 
were  taken  from  the  citadel,  and  forty-two  pieces  of  artillery  from 
the  city.  The  stores  of  Monterey  would  have  supplied  ten  thousand 
men  in  active  daily  operations  for  more  than  a  month. 

ENERAL  MARIANO  DE 
SALAS,  on  receiving  in 
formation  of  the  fall  of  Mon 
terey,  issued  a  proclamation 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico, 
announcing  the  fact,  and  exhorting  all 
classes  to  unite  in  repelling  the.  invaders. 
The  language  of  this  document  is  worthy 
of  preservation.  It  was  then  regarded  as 
the  vain  ebullition  of  the  weak  governor 
of  a  weak  nation  ;  but  subsequent  opera 
tions  have  shown  that  it  was  an  actual 
transcript  of  Mexican  character.  By  their  perseverance  under  the 
most  overwhelming  defeats,  the  people  of  that  country  have  echoed 
to  this  voice  of  their  ruler,  and  shown  that  all  that  was  necessary  to 
success  was  power.  Salas  concludes  with  the  following  stirring 
appeal : 

"  Partial  disasters  are  of  no  importance ;  the  Spanish  nation  suf 
fered  much  more  in  the  space  of  six  years,  and  the  results  of  her 
heroic  efforts,  and  the  co-operation  of  all  her  sons,  was  that  the  bones 
of  half  a  million  of  unjust  invaders  whiten  the  fields  of  the  peninsula. 
Shall  we  become  unworthy  of  independence  by  not  showing  ourselves 
sons  worthy  of  our  fathers  ?  That  independence  was  achieved  by  us 
alone  only  after  ten  years  of  constancy ;  and  it  is  not  possible  that 
an  organized  nation  should  lose  less  strength  than  its  oppressed  sons, 
such  as  our  first  leaders  were. 

"  Mexicans !  The  time  to  act  has  come.  Will  you  suffer  your 
population  to  be  decimated,  sending  it  to  perish  by  handfuls  on  the 
frontier,  and  to  perish  less  by  the  enemy's  balls  than  by  neglect  ? 
The  government  will  exert  all  its  power  in  the  defence  of  your  rights, 
but  it  has  a  right  to  expect  that  indifference  or  inactive  contempla 
tion  shall  not  be  the  recompense  of  its  plan  of  operations ;  for  the 
nation  would  prefer  that  not  one  stone  should  be  left  upon  another, 


POPULATION  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 


331 


rather  than  to  hold  its  sovereignty,  its  rights,  and  its  temples  trampled 
under  foot.  The  invincible  general  called  by  it  to  place  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  troops,  is  resolved  not  to  survive  the  dishonours  of 
his  country." 

General  Taylor  established  his  head-quarters  at  Monterey,  and  took 
efficient  measures  to  afford  his  troops  some  repose  after  their  toilsome 
campaign.  The  city  is  admirably  situated  for  health  and  recreation. 
The  valley  is  not  only  most  beautiful  in  point  of  scenery,  but  is  rich 
in  corn,  sugar,  oranges,  grapes,  figs,  and  other  tropical  productions. 
The  population  of  the  city,  according  to  Mr.  Poinsett,  is  fifteen  thou 
sand  souls.  "  The  valleys  are  fruitful  and  provisions  abundant  for 
the  existing  population.  There  is  no  want  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats, 
in  this  part  of  Mexico,  and  the  country  between  Monterey  and  Za- 
catecas  abounds  in  flocks  and  herds.  The  latter  is  a  mining  district, 
and  the  capital,  situated  at  the  foot  of  an  abrupt  and  porphyritic 
mountain,  boasts  of  a  noble  cathedral,  a  magnificent  town  hall,  and 
the  best  mint  in  Mexico.  The  mines  are  all  worked  by  English 
companies." 


Herdsman  of  Monterey. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


OPERATIONS    CONSEQUENT    ON    THE    CAPTURE    OF   MONTEREY. 


OME  difficulties  between  the  volunteer  troops 
of  the  American  army  and  the  Mexicans, 
which  occurred  soofl  after  the  occupation  of 
the  city,  are  worthy  of  notice.  Both  parties 
were  no  doubt  to  blame.  The  citizens  were 
exasperated  at  what  they  considered  a  wholesale 
robbery  of  their  property,  and  determined  to  embrace 
all  convenient  opportunities  to  avenge  it.  Hence 
straggling  Americans  were  in  danger  of  assassination.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  volunteers,  unused  to  the  strictness  of  camp  discipline,  and 
elated  with  signal  success,  were  disposed  to  look  unfavourably  on 
those  whom  they  had  conquered,  and  to  resent,  fearlessly,  any  thing 
bearing  the  semblance  of  an  insult.  Such  feelings  led  to  frequent 
(332) 


COMPLAINTS   AGAINST   THE    VOLUNTEERS.    333 


President  Polk. 

hostile  collisions,  and  finally  to  murder ;  so  that  as  early  as  the  29th 
of  September,  Governor  Morales  wrote  to  General  Taylor,  informing 
him  that  many  complaints  were  daily  made  against  the  excesses 
committed  upon  the  persons  and  property  of  the  Mexicans  by  Ameri 
can  volunteers,  and  specifying  three  cases  of  murder  just  then  com 
mitted.  The  American  commander  made  prompt  inquiry,  and 
ascertained  the  statement  to  be  correct.  He  accordingly  wrote  back 
to  the  governor,  acknowledging  the  fact,  and  signifying  his  determi 
nation  to  use  every  exertion  to  arrest  the  evil,  at  the  same  time  re 
minding  the  governor  of  the  impossibility  of  maintaining  rigid  dis 
cipline  in  that  branch  of  the  service.  In  a  few  days,  however,  nearly 
all  the  volunteers  were  removed  from  the  city ;  and  this  circumstance, 
united  with  the  exertions  of  Generals  Taylor  and  Worth,  soon  arrested 
the  evil. 
The  terms  of  capitulation  met  with  opposition  from  a  quarter  whence 


334  TAYLOR'S  LETTER  TO  MARCY. 

it  was  least  expected.  Government  received  information  of  the  vic 
tory  with  marked  displeasure.  Even  in  the  hall  of  congress  disap 
probation  was  expressed,  and  President  Polk  refused  to  sanction  the 
clause  providing  for  eight  weeks  cessation  of  hostilities.  Notice  of 
this  was  soon  communicated  officially  to  the  general,  together  with 
orders  to  resume  active  operations  immediately.  In  vindication  of 
his  course  he  wrote  to  the  government  an  able  letter,  stating  the  rela 
tive  force  and  condition  of  himself  and  the  enemy  during  the  siege, 
and  the  circumstances  which  had  induced  him  to  sign  the  capitula 
tion.  "Although,"  he  says,  "the  main  communication  with  the 
interior  was  in  our  possession,  yet  one  route  was  open  to  the  Mexi 
cans  throughout  the  operations,  and  could  not  be  closed,  as  were  also 
other  minor  tracks  and  passes  through  the  mountains.  Had  we  there 
fore  insisted  on  more  rigorous  terms  than  those  granted,  the  result 
would  have  been  the  escape  of  the  body  of  the  Mexican  force  with 
the  destruction  of  its  artillery  and  magazines,  our  only  advantage 
being  the  capture  of  a  few  prisoners  of  war  at  the  expense  of  valuable 
lives  and  much  damage  to  the  city.  The  consideration  of  humanity 
was  present  to  my  mind  during  the  conference  which  led  to  the  conven 
tion,  and  outweighed,  in  my  judgment,  the  doubtful  advantages  to  be 
gained  by  a  resumption  of  the  attack  upon  the  town.  This  conclu 
sion  has  been  fully  confirmed  by  an  inspection  of  the  enemy's  position 
and  means  since  the  surrender.  It  was  discovered  that  his  principal 
magazine,  containing  an  immense  amount  of  powder,  was  in  the 
cathedral,  completely  exposed  to. our  shells  from  two  directions.  The 
explosion  of  this  mass  of  powder,  which  must  have  ultimately  resulted 
from  a  continuance  of  the  bombardment,  would  have  been  infinitely 
disastrous  involving  the  destruction  not  only  of  Mexican  troops  but  of 
non-combatants,  and  even  our  own  people  had  we  pressed  the  attack. 
"  In  regard  to  the  temporary  cessation  of  hostilities,  the  fact  that 
we  are  not  at  this  moment,  within  eleven  days  of  the  termination  of 
the  period  fixed  by  the  convention,  prepared  to  move  forward  in 
force,  is  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  military  reasons  which  dictated 
this  suspension  of  arms.  It  paralyzed  the  enemy  during  a  period 
when  from  the  want  of  necessary  means  we  could  not  possibly  mo>  e. 
I  desire  distinctly  to  state  and  to  call  the  attention  of  the  authorities  to 
the  fact,  that  with  all  diligence  in  breaking  mules  and  setting  up 
wagons,  the  first  wagons  in  addition  to  our  original  train  from  Corpus 
Christi,  (and  but  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  in  number,)  reached 
my  head-quarters  on  the  same  day  with  the  secretary's  communica 
tion  of  October  13th, — viz.  the  2d  instant,  [November.]  At  the  date 
of  the  surrender  of  Monterey,  our  force  had  not  more  than  ten  days' 
rations,  and  even  now,  with  all  our  endeavours,  we  have  not  more 


Cclccel 


MARCYS   LETTER    TO   TAYLOR. 


337 


than  twenty-five.  The  task  of  fighting  and  beating  the  enemy  is 
among  the  least  difficulties  that  we  encounter — the  great  question  of 
supplies  necessarily  controls  all  the  operations  in  a  country  like  this. 
At  the  date  of  the  convention,  I  could  not  of  course  have  foreseen 
that  the  department  would  direct  an  important  detachment  from  my 
command  without  consulting  me,  or  without  waiting  the  result  of  the 
main  operation  under  my  orders." 

Such  were  the  principal  reasons  which  induced  General  Taylor  to 
accept  the  terms  of  capitulation.  Others  were  given  by  him  in  sub 
sequent  letters ;  and  his  course  was  ably  defended  by  Gener  .1  Worth, 
Colonel  Davis,  and  other  distinguished  officers.  It  met  with  the  de 
cided  approval  of  military  men  throughout  the  Union,  as  well  as  the 
approbation  of  the  people  in  general. 

ITHERTO  General  Taylor 
had,  by  authority  from  go 
vernment,  purchased  most 
of  his  supplies  of  the  Mexi 
cans,  paying  for  them  in 
cash  at  their  full  value.  The  authorities 
at  home  now  began  to  fear  that  this 
course  was  directly  opposed  to  the  long 
cherished  object  of  conquering  a  peace, 
inasmuch  as  the  enemy  might  take  ^id- 
vantage  of  it  to  dispose  of  'those  pro- 
ductionsj  which  their  own  people  wouid 
not  purchase,  and  so  accumijlate  means  to  continue  a  war,  which 
was  little  burden  to  themselves.  Accordingly,  in  a  letter  written  Sep 
tember  22d,  the  secretary  of  war  intimated  these  apprehensions  to  the 
general,  recommending  to  him  in  future  the  policy  of  forced  supplies. 
By  this  means,  as  the  secretary  thought,  the  people  would  be  com 
pelled  to  realize  the  evil  of  war,  and  thus  a  peace  would  speedily  be 
Conquered.  "  This  mode,"  he  affirms,  "is  the  ordinary  one,  and  you 
are  instructed  to  adopt  it,  if  in  that  way  you  are  satisfied  you  can  get 
abundant  supplies  for  your  forces  ;  but  should  you  apprehend  a  diffi 
culty  in  this  respect,  then  you  will  adopt  the  policy  of  paying  the* 
ordinary  price,  without  allowing  to  the  owners  the  advantages  of  the 
enhancement  of  the  price  resulting  from  the  increased  demand. 
Should  you  apprehend  a  deficiency  under  this  last  mode  of  dealing 
with  the  inhabitants,  you  will  be  obliged  to  submit  to  their  exactions, 
provided  by  this  mode  you  can  supply  your  wants  on  better  terms 
than  by  drawing  what  you  may  need  from  the  United  States.  Should 
you  attempt  to  supply  your  troops  by  contributions,  or  the  appropria 
tion  of  private  property,  you  will  be  careful  to  exempt  the  property 
2F  43 


338 


MARCYS    LETTER   TO    1  A  Y  L  O  R. 


of  all  foreigners  from  any  and  all  exactions  whatsoever.     The  piesi 
dent  hopes  you  will  be  able  to  derive  from   the  enemy's  country, 
without  expense  to  the  United  States,  the  supplies  you  may  need  or 
a  considerable  part  of  them ;  but  should  you  fail  in  this,  you  will 
procure  them  in  the  most  economical  manner." 

In  the  same  letter,  Secretary  Marcy  unfolds  part  of  the  plan 
adopted  by  the  department  for  prosecuting  the  war.  Tamaulipas 
was  to  be  taken  at  as  early  a  day  as  possible,  and  the  general's  opi 
nion  asked  as  to  the  practicability  of  advancing  towards  the  Mexican 
capital  by  the  route  he  was  then  pursuing.  The  force  for  the  inva 
sion  of  Tamaulipas  was  to  be  placed  under. the  immediate  command 
of  Major-General  Patterson,  accompanied  by  Brigadier-Generals  Pil 
low  and'  Shields.  A  movement  by  way  of  Tampico  was  also  hinted, 
to  favour  which,  the  general  was  exhorted  to  push  forward  with  all 
convenient  despatch  to  San  Luis  Potosi. 

General  Taylor  found  it  impossible  to  furnish  the  army  with  pro 
visions  by  forced  supplies  from  the  inhabitants,  and  the  project  was 
consequently  abandoned. 

N  attack  upon  Vera 
Cruz  was  hinted  to 
General  Taylor  as 
early  as  October  13th. 
"It  is  under  consi 
deration,"  says  Secre 
tary  Marcy,  in  a  letter 
of  that  date,  "  by  the 
government,  though 
not  yet  fully  deter 
mined,  to  land  a  con 
siderable  force  in  the 
vicinity  of  Vera  Cruz, 
and  invest  that  city. 

Should  this  be  undertaken,  a  larger  force  of  regular  troops  will  be 
required  than  that  assigned  to  the  Tamaulipas  expedition.  It  is  de- 
•sired  to  know,  if,  in  your  opinion,  a  detachment  of  two  thousand  of 
this  description  of  force  can  be  spared  for  that  purpose  from  those 
under  your  command,  without  essentially  interfering  with  your  plans 
and  operations.  It  is  not  desired,  nor  intended  to  weaken  the  force 
with  you  at  Monterey,  or  to  embarrass  you  by  diverting  troops  from 
the  Rio  Grande,  which  you  may  deem  necessary  as  reinforcements  to 
the  execution  of  your  own  contemplated  operations." 

In  reply  to  this  letter,  General  Taylor  detailed  with  accuracy  the 
nature  of  the  country  through  which  the  contemplated  movements 


WORTHADVANCES   TO   SALT1LLO  339 

were  to  be  made,  the  position  of  towns  on  the  route,  and  the  supplies 
to  be  expected  from  the  inhabitants.  To  insure  success  against  San 
Luis,  he  considered  a  column  of  twenty  thousand  troops  necessary, 
half  of  which  should  be  regulars.  With  regard  to  the  simultaneous 
movement  upon  San  Luis  and  Tampico,  he  considered  that,  on  mili 
tary  principles,  twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  men  would  be  required, 
with  a  train  and  military  supplies  in  proportion.  One  paragraph  of 
his  letter,  on  a  most  important  subject,  is  deserving  of  particular 
attention,  as  the  views  of  the  one  best  qualified  to  decide,  and  formed 
evidently  from  long  and  careful  experience.  "It  may  be  expected/' 
says  the  general,  u  that  I  should  give  my  views  as  to  the  policy  of 
occupying  a  defensive  line,  to  which  I  have  above  alluded.  I  am 
free  to  confess,  that  in  view  of  the  difficulties  and  expenses  attending 
a  movement  into  the  heart  of  the  country,  and  particularly  in  view 
of  the  unsettled  and  revolutionary  character  of  the  Mexican  govern 
ment,  the  occupation  of  such  a  line  seems  to  me  the  best  course  that 
can  be  adopted.  The  line  taken  might  either  be  that  on  which  we 
propose  to  insist  as  the  boundary  between  the  republics — say  the  Rio 
Grande — or  the  line  to  which  we  have  advanced,  viz. :  the  Sierra 
Madre,  including  Chihuahua  and, Santa  Fe.  The  former  line  could 
be  held  with  a  much  smaller  force  than  the  latter ;  but  even  the  line 
of  the  Sierra  Madre  could  be  held  with  a  force  greatly  less  than 
would  be  required  for  an  active  campaign.  Monterey  controls  the 
great  outlet  from  the  interior ;  a  strong  garrison  at  this  point,  with  an 
advance  at  Saltillo,  and  small  corps  at  Monclova,  Linares,  Victoria, 
and  Tampico,  would  effectually  cover  the  line." 

Agreeably  to  instructions  from  government,  General  Taylor  noti 
fied  General  Santa  Anna,  the  Mexican  commander-in-chief,  that  the 
armistice  would  terminate  on  the  13th  of  November.  On  the  12th 
of  that  month,  General  Worth,  with  two  regiments  of  infantry,  a 
company  of  volunteers,  eight  companies  of  artillery,  and  a  field-bat 
tery,  moved  from  Monterey  to  Saltillo,  which  Taylor  determined  to 
make  the  limit  of  his  offensive  operations — at  least  for  the  present. 
On  the  following  day,  the  commander  followed  in  person,  accom 
panied  by  two  squadrons  of  dragoons.  When  he  reached  the  state 
of  Coahuila,  of  which  Saltillo  is  the  capital,  he  received  a  message 
from  the  governor,  Marie  de  Aguirre,  remonstrating  against  the  march 
of  the  Americans,  and  intimating  that  although  no  troops  were  at  hand 
to  support  him,  yet  he  protested  "  in  the  name  of  the  state  of  Coa 
huila  against  the  government  of  the  United  States  of  the  north,  for 
the  usurpation  of  the  territory  occupied  by  their  arms — for  the  out 
rages  and  damages  which  may  accrue  to  the  persons  and  property  of 
the  inhabitants  of  these  defenceless  towns— for  the  injuries  the  put> 


DESCRIPTION    OF    SALTILLO. 


Saltillo. 


lie  interests  may  suffer,  and  for  all  the  evils  consequent  upon  the 
most  unjustifiable  invasion  ever  known  to  the  world."  Without 
answering  this  paper,  General .  Taylor  pushed  forward  to  Saltillo, 
where  General  Worth  had  been  since  the  16th. 

Saltillo  is  situated  about  sixty-five  miles  south-west  from  Monterey, 
and  contains  nearly  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  Many  of  the 
houses  are  two  stories  high,  well  built  of  sun-burnt  bricks,  covered 
with  cement.  The  streets  are  well  paved,  and  the  whole  city  is 
about  the  size  of  Monterey,  but  more  compactly  built.  Its  four 
plazas  are  kept  in  neat  order,  and  its  numerous  fountains,  scattered 
here  and  there,  impart  to  it  an  appearance  of  taste  and  elegance. 
The  cathedral  is  a  magnificent  building,  larger  than  that  at  Monterey, 
built  of  the  same  material  as  the  houses,  having  the  cement  mixed 
with  small  stones. 

The  first  care  of  General  Taylor  was  to  make  a  reconnoissance  of 
the  interior.  Two  principal  routes  led  in  this  direction — one  to  San 
Luis  Potosi,  the  other  through  a  luxuriantly  fertile  country,  to  Parras. 
The  first  of  these  was  covered  by  Worth's  troops  ;  and  General  Tay 
lor  now  ordered  Brigadier-General  Wool,  who  had  lately  arrived  in 
the  vicinity  writh  the  division  of  the  centre,  to  move  upon  Parras. 
The  state  of  Coahuila  was  thus  completely  covered,  so  that  should 
occasion  offer,  a  demonstration  might  immediately  be  made  against 
Zacatecas,  Durango,  or  San  Luis.  General  Taylor  and  his  staff  re 
turned  to  Monterey  on  the  23d. 


TAYLOR  MARCHES  TO  VICTORIA. 


341 


Victoria  and  Tula  Pass. 

Little  of  interest  transpired  after  the  general's  return  until  the  15th 
of  December,  when  he  set  out  for  Victoria,  leaving  the  command  at 
Monterey  with  General  Butler.  Reaching  Montemorelos  on  the  17th, 
he  was  joined  by  a  force  from  Camargo  consisting  of  the  second  in 
fantry  regiment  of  Tennessee,  and  the  second  infantry  (regulars.)  At 
the  same  time  he  received  a  despatch  from  Worth,  conveying  the 
information,  that  in  consequence  of  the  diminished  force  at  Monterey, 
Santa  Anna  was  about  making  a  vigorous  attack  upon  Saltillo,  and 
if  successful,  that  he  was  to  follow  it  up  by  a  blow  at  Parras.  Know 
ing  his  adversary's  force  to  be  large,  the  general  determined  to  aban 
don  his  movement  upon  Victoria,  and  by  returning  to  Monterey,  to 
place  himself  in  a  position  to  reinforce  the  threatened  points.  He 
afterwards  sent  General  Quitman  to  Victoria  with  the  volunteers  and 
a  field-battery,  which  force  effected  a  junction  with  General  Patter 
son,  the  commandant  at  that  place. 

On  reaching  Monterey,  General  Taylor  was  gratified  to  learn  that 
both  Wool  and  Butler  had  hastened  with  reinforcements  to  Saltillo, 
in  order  to  render  General  Worth  sufficiently  strong  to  resist  the 
expected  attack.  The  commander  himself  set  out  for  the  same  place, 
but  on  the  road  was  met  by  a  messenger  from  Worth,  announcing 
that  the  rumour  as  to  Santa  Anna's  intentions  was  unfounded. 
Deeming,  therefore,  his  presence  there  unnecessary,  he  returned  to 
Monterey,  whence  he  soon  after  departed  for  Victoria.  Accompanied 
by  Twiggs's  division,  he  reached  the  town  on  the  4th  of  January, 


TAYLOR   MARCHES   TO    SALTILLO. 

swelling  the  force  at  that  place  to  five  thousand  men.  With  these 
troops  the  commander  commenced  active  preparations  for  marching 
upon  Tampico,  and  orders  to  that  effect  had  been  issued,  when  he 
unexpectedly  received  from  General  Scott  [January  15,]  a  demand 
for  part  of  his  army,  to  assist  that  officer  in  his  contemplated  attack 
on  Vera  Cruz. 

On  receiving  this,  General  Taylor  immediately  left  for  Monterey. 
The  order  deprived  him  of  nearly  all  his  regulars,  together  with  the 
volunteer  divisions  of  Generals  Worth  and  Patterson,  and  the  brigades 
of  Quitman  and  Twiggs.  To  cover  the  great  tract  of  country  be 
tween  the  Rio  Grande  and  Saltillo,  there  remained  only  about  five 
thousand  troops,  of  whom  five  hundred  were  regulars.  The  parting 
between  the  general  and  his  war-tried  veterans  was  affecting.  During 
the  reading  of  the  order  which  announced  their  separation,  tears 
rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  those  who  had  battled  on  the  Rio  Grande 
and  at  Monterey.  "It  is  with  deep  sensibility,"  says  the  paper, 
"that  the  commanding  general  finds  himself  separated  from  the  troops 
he  so  long  commanded.  To  those  corps,  regular  and  volunteer,  who 
have  shared  with  him  the  active  services  of  the  field,  he  feels  the 
attachment  due  to  such  associations,  while  to  those  who  are  making 
their  first  campaign,  he  must  express  his  regret  that  he  cannot  partici 
pate  with  them  in  its  eventful  scenes.  To  all,  both  officers  and  men, 
he  extends  his  heartfelt  wishes  for  their  continued  success  and  happi 
ness,  confident  that  their  achievements  on  another  theatre  will  re 
dound  to  the  credit  of  their  country  and  its  arms." 

General  Taylor  remained  at  Monterey  until  the  latter  part  of  Janu 
ary,  when  he  received  information  from  General  Wool  at  Saltillo,  that 
rumours  of  an  attack  by  Santa  Anna  were  again  prevalent.  He  deter 
mined,  therefore,  to  remain  no  longer  inactive — an  alternative  never 
very  congenial  to  his  nature — but  to  push  with  his  small  force  farther 
into  the  enemy's  country,  and  if  practicable,  to  anticipate  his  attack. 
In  pursance  of  this  daring  resolution,  he  left  fifteen  hundred  men  at 
Monterey,  and  marched  on  the  31st  of  January  for  Saltillo.  On  the 
15th  of  February,  he  ordered  Major  McCulloch  to  make  a  reconnois- 
sance  as  far  as  Agua  Nueva,  about  thirty  miles  off,  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  information  respecting  the  advance  of  Santa  Anna.  At 
midnight  of  the  16th,  the  major  arrived  within  a  mile  of  the  town, 
and  was  fired  upon  by  a  picket  guard.  Not  knowing  the  road,  and 
the  night  being  very  dark,  McCulloch  advanced  cautiously  along  the 
road,  until  his  party  came  abreast  of  some  obstacle  that  hindered 
farther  approach.  Suddenly  they  were  challenged  by  a  Mexican 
sentinel,  and  before  an  answer  could  be  returned  were  fired  on  by  an 
apparently  large  force,  drawn  up  across  the  road.  Totally  ignorant 


MCCULLOCH'S  EXPEDITION. 


345 


McCulloch  examining  a  Mexican  Deserter. 


of  the  number  of  the  enemy,  the  major  ordered  a  charge,  which  was 
gallantly  executed,  and  ended  in  the  total  rout  of  the  enemy.  This 
enabled  him  to  obtain  the  desired  information,  with  which  he  returned 
to  General  Taylor. 

On  the  20th  McCulloch  was  again  despatched  on  a  scout,  taking 
with  him  but  six  men.  Six  miles  from  Agua  Nueva,  he  met  a  de 
serter,  who  stated  that  Santa  Anna  had  arrived  at  Encarnacion  with 
twenty  thousand  men.  The  major  moved  forward,  however,  until 
midnight,  when  he  arrived  in  view  of  Encarnacion,  where  found  the 
enemy  encamped  apparently  in  great  force.  Favoured  by  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night,  he  moved  stealthily  forward,  passed  the  pickets, 
and  arrived  near  the  camp  guard.  Here  he  reconnoitered  the  camp, 
in  order  to  ascertain  its  length.  He  now  determined  to  send  to  Ge 
neral  Taylor  all  his  party  except  one  man,  that  they  might  imme 
diately  report,  while  he  remained  behind  until  daylight,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  obtaining  a  fuller  view  of  the  enemy's  camp. 

On  the  following  morning  the  major  found  himself  entangled  amid 
the  enemy's  pickets,  and  in  full  view  of  their .  main  army.  To  be 
captured  was  certain  death,  yet  escape  seemed  impossible.  By  a 
series  of  the  most  brilliant  manoeuvers  he  and  his  companion  passed 

44 


S46 


TAYLOR    AT    ANGOSTURA, 


Captain  Daniel  Drake  Henrie. 

among  the  guards,  who  were  induced  to  believe  them  Mexicans,  and 
escaping  into  the  main  road,  set  off'  briskly  to  join  the  American 
army.  He  found  it  in  full  march  towards  Buena  Vista,  in  consequence 
of  the  information  sent  by  the  major  during  the  night.  During  the 
day,  General  Taylor  reached  the  strong  mountain  pass  of  Angostura, 
three  miles  from  Buena  Vista,  and  about  eight  from  Saltillo.  Here 
he  awaited,  with  his  little  army,  the  threatened  attack  of  Santa  Anna. 
Two  disasters  which  happened  to  portions  of  the  American  army, 
a  little  before  this,  are  worthy  of  notice.  In  the  latter  part  of  Decem 
ber,  Captain  May,  with  two  companies  of  dragoons,  was  sent  to  ex 
amine  the  country  south  of  the  road  between  Monterey  and  Victoria. 
By  means  of  a  difficult  pass,  scarcely  practicable  for  horses,  he  reached 
a  rancho,  named  Labadores,  where  he  seized  some  stores.  In  re 
turning  by  way  of  the  Linares  pass,  he  was  obliged  to  move  along 
the  dry  bed  of  a  stream,  which  wound  through  a  defile  so  narrow 
that  the  party  were  obliged  to  dismount  and  lead  their  horses  one  by 
one.  On  each  side  the  cliffs  rose  almost  perpendicularly  to  a  height 
of  several  hundred  feet.  When  the  greater  part  of  the  squadron  had 


CAPTURE    OF    BORLANDS   COMMAND 


347 


passed  through,  and  the  rear  guard  were  about  entering,  a  mine  was 
sprung' from  the  rocks  above,  and  showers  of  stones  came  pouring  into 
the  pass.  Immediately  after,  a  fire  of  musketry  was  opened  from  the 
opposite  side,  which  caused  the  eleven  men  constituting  the  rear  to 
fly  in  disorder,  and  the  drivers  to  desert  their  mules.  May  dismounted 
as  speedily  as  possible,  and  with  twenty  men,  repassed  the  defile  and 
went  a  mile  beyond,  but  without  finding  his  men.  Some  straggling 
shots  from  the  heights  were  received  and  returned  without  injury  to 
either  party.  The  total  loss  was  eleven  men,  twelve  horses,  and  all 
the  baggage. 

On  tl  e  22d  of  January,  at  Encarnacion,  two  scouting  parties  under 
the  command  of  Majors  Borland  and  Gaines,  were  surrounded  and 
captured  by  General  Minon  with  an  overwhelming  body  of  lancers. 
The  accident  seems  to  have  occurred  principally  from  carelessness, 
and  when  we  compare  it  with  similar  expeditions  of  Walker,  McCul- 
loch,  and  other  officers,  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the  impression  that 
if  fighting  had  been  impracticable,  the  party  might  at  least  have  re 
treated,  or  concealed  itself,  before  coming  in  contact  with  so  supe 
rior  an  enemy.  The  whole  command,  numbering  six  officers  and 
sixty-four  men,  were  marched  off  towards  Mexico ;  but  on  the  road 
Captain  Henrie,  one  of  the  officers,  effected  his  escape.  Only  five 
days  after,  Captain  Heady,  with  seventeen  Kentucky  volunteers,  was 
captured  by  a  party  of  rancheros. 


General  A/Vool 


CHAPTER    XX. 


MARCH    OF    GENERAL    WOOL    TO    MONCLOVA. 

T  has  been  already  mentioned,  that  on 
receiving  news  of  the  opening  of 
General  Taylor's  campaign  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  the  American  Congress 
recognized  the  existence  of  war  be- 
tween  the  two  republics.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  recognition  the  presi 
dent  was  authorized,  on  the  13th  of 
May,  to  accept  the  service  of  any 
number  of  volunteers,  not  exceeding 
fifty  thousand.  Under  this  act,  requi 
sitions  were  immediately  made  upon 
the  governors  of  Arkansas,  Missis 
sippi,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Tennessee, 

Kentucky,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  Texas,  for  a  volun- 
(348) 


GENERAL   WOOL.  349 

teer  force  equal  to  twenty-six  regiments,  which,  with  a  battalion  from 
the  District  of  Columbia  and  Maryland,  amounted  to  about  twenty- 
three  thousand  effective  men.  They  were  to  serve  for  the  period  of 
twelve  months  or  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

This  call  met  a  prompt  and  patriotic  response  ;  the  force  was  or 
ganized  and  sent  forward  to  the  points  of  destination.  The  greater 
portion  of  it  was  designed  to  co-operate  with  the  main  army  on  the 
Rio  Grande ;  the  part  from  the  state  of  Missouri  assembled  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  to  march  under  General  Kearny  for  Santa  Fe ;  and 
a  third  command  to  be  denominated  the  "Army  of  the  Centre,"  was 
placed  under  Brigadier-General  Wool,  with  instructions  to  march 
against  the  city  and  province  of  Chihuahua.  It  is  of  the  organiza 
tion  and  march  of  the  latter  force  that  we  are  now  to  speak. 

After  this  plan  of  operations  was  adopted,  Wool  was  ordered  to 
Washington,  and  set  out  for  that  city  on  the  day  that  his  instruc 
tions  reached  him.  The  duties  entailed  on  him  by  government  were 
arduous  in  the  extreme — to  muster  into  service  during  the  campaign 
the  twelve  months'  volunteers  of  six  states,  and  march  them  into  the 
enemy's  country.  He  landed  from  the  gulf  at  Labaca,  (Texas,)  on 
the  2d  of  August,  1846,  with  two  regiments  of  Illinois  infantry,  under 
Colonels  Hardin  and  Bissell,  and  soon  after  marched  for  the  place  of 
rendezvous,  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  situated  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  to  the  north.  Here  he  was  joined  by  Colonel  Yell's  mounted 
regiment  from  Arkansas,  and  that  of  Colonel  Marshall  of  Kentucky ; 
Captain  Washington's  flying  artillery,  Major  Bonne ville's  battalion 
of  regular  infantry,  and  Colonel  Harney  with  four  companies  of  dra 
goons.  The  detachments  were  so  tardy  in  arriving,  that  August  had 
nearly  expired  before  they  had  all  reached  the  head-quarters.  These 
men  were  from  the  walks  of  private  life,  and  General  Wool,  on  his 
arrival,  found  them  utterly  destitute  of  the  character  and  supplies 
necessary  to  a  campaign. 

Encompassed  with  difficulties,  harassed  with  the  murmurs  and 
questionings  of  raw  volunteers,  unable  to  obtain  supplies  except  from 
a  great  distance,  Wool  began  his  labours.  He  conducted  a  corres 
pondence  with  agents,  state  governors,  officers  of  the  army,  and  with 
the  war  department ;  he  passed  personally  from  state  to  state,  and 
induced  the  proper  authorities  to  meet  the  requisitions  of  govern 
ment  ;  and  in  six  weeks  he  had  organized  the  whole  command,  sent 
on  a  large  reinforcement  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  prepared  for  his 
own  march  through  Coahuila. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  the  right  wing  of  Wool's  army,  num 
bering  twelve  hundred  and  thirty-seven  men,  under  Colonel  Harney, 
moved  towards  the  Rio  Grande,  en  route  for  Monclova.  On  the 


350  WOOL'S    MARCH   TO    MONCLOVA. 

29th,  General  Wool  followed  in  person,  accompanied  by  his  staff  and 
Colonel  Hardin's  command  of  five  hundred  and  seventy-four  men. 
The  remainder  of  the  army  followed  soon  after — the  whole  column 
numbering  twenty-eight  hundred  officers  and  privates.  On  the  9th 
of  October,  the  advance  came  in  sight  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  on  the 
some  day  Wool  published  an  order  defining  the  course  to  be  pur 
sued  towards  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico.  The  strictest  order  was 
enjoined  on  the  volunteers,  the  unarmed  inhabitants  being  regarded 
rather  as  friends  than  enemies.  Wool  announced  that  he  had  no- 
come  to  declare  war  against  the  peasantry,  but  against  the  govern 
ment.  "  The  people,  therefore,  who  do  not  take  up  arms  against 
the  United  States,  and  remain  quiet  and  peaceful  at  their  homes,  will 
not  be  molested  or  interfered  with,  either  as  regards  their  persons  or 
property ;  and  all  those  who  furnish  supplies  will  be  treated  kindly, 
and  whatever  is  received  from  them  will  be  liberally  paid  for.  It  is 
expected  of  the  troops  that  they  will  observe  the  most  rigid  discipline 
and  subordination.  All  depredations  on  the  persons  or  property  of 
the  people  of  the  country  are  strictly  forbidden ;  and  any  soldier  or 
follower  of  the  camp,  who  may  so  far  forget  his  duty  as  to  violate 
this  injunction,  will  be  severely  punished." 

FTER  crossing  the  boundary  line,  (Octo 
ber  10,)  the  division  marched  to  Parras, 
a  distance  of  about  four  hundred  miles. 
In  that  march  the  troops  passed  through, 
and  took  possession  of,  the  cities  of  Pre 
sidio  del  Rio  Grande,  Nava.  San  Fer 
nando,  Santa  Rosa,  Monclova,  and  Par 
ras.  The  latter  was  entered  December 
6,  1846.  Some  time  was  spent  in  each 
of  these  places,  during  which,  the  Americans  improved  their  know 
ledge  of  the  language  and  manners  of  the  people,  with  whom  they 
enjoyed  an  apparently  friendly  intercourse.  The  line  of  march  led 
through  a  great  variety  of  scenery,  marked  after  three  days'  progress 
in  Mexico,  by  high  and  barren  mountains  on  the  south  and  west, 
covered  with  traces  of  rich  ores.  Extending  from  the  base  of  these, 
were  sterile  plains  and  table-lands,  scantily  supplied,  during  the  dry 
season,  with  water.  Farther  into  the  interior  stretched  beautiful, 
fertile  valleys,  embosoming  quiet  towns,  haciendas,  and  cities,  and 
surrounded  in  the  distance  by  cloud-capt  mountains,  whose  sides 
were  green  with  cedars.  In  general,  the  country  bordering  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  south  and  west  of  the  crossing  point,  was  level,  well 
watered  by  small  streams,  and  consequently  fertile ;  but  the  greater 
part  of  the  territory  passed  through,  westward  of  this  portion, 


WOOL  JOINS   TAYLOR. 


353 


abounded  in  sandy  deserts  and  marshy  chaparral,  presenting  to  the 
eye  of  the  wearied  soldier  a  succession  of  sterile,  arid  plains,  where 
the  foot  of  the  white  man  rarely  trod,  and  the  deep  silence  is  broken 
only  by  the  vulture's  scream,  and  the  howl  of  the  jackal.  This  march 
was  more  healthful  to  the  soldiers  than  any  which  our  army  has  con 
ducted  in  Mexico.  The  mere  change  from  the  bilious  atmosphere  of 
the  Mississippi,  to  the  sweeping  gales  from  snow-crowned  mountains 
and  boundless  plains,  was  most  renovating ;  while  the  strict  disci 
pline  enforced  by  Wool,  the  punctual  camp  exercise,  and  the  march 
in  the  open  country,  together  with  the  general's  scrupulous  attention 
to  supplying  an  abundant  quantity  of  healthful  provision,  caused  the 
Division  of  the  Centre  to  present  an  appearance  of  strength  and  effi 
ciency  unknown  to  some  other  portions  of  the  army. ' 

ENERAL  WOOL,  in  order  to  carry 
out  the  original  design  of  the  expedi 
tion,  on  reaching  Monclova,  began 
preparations  for  a  march  upon  Chi 
huahua.  Before  these  were  com 
pleted,  intelligence  was  received  that 
General  Kearny,  after  capturing  Santa 
Fe,  had  received  the  surrender  of 
Chihuahua  and  the  surrounding  pro 
vince  without  striking  a  blow.  Wool, 
therefore,  considered  his  advance 
upon  that  place  as  unnecessary ;  and 
soon  a  far  more  momentous  business 
caused  him  to  merge  his  command  into  that  of  General  Taylor. 

We  have  already  stated,  that  soon  after  the  termination  of  the 
Monterey  armistice,  General  Worth  was  sent  with  a  considerable 
force  to  Saltillo,  and  that  rumours  prevailed  of  an  intended  attack  of 
Santa  Anna  upon  that  place.  In  consequence  of  this  report,  Wool 
*vas  ordered  from  Monclova  to  Parras,  in  order  to  co-operate  with 
Worth,  if  necessary.  Here  he  remained  eleven  days,  engaged  in 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  population.  On  the  17th  of  December, 
he  received  an  express  from  General  Worth,  requesting  his  column  to 
move  with  all  possible  despatch  for  Saltillo.  In  less  than  two  hours 
he  was  on  his  march.  The  movement  occupied  two  days  and  a  half, 
during  which  the  army  was  roused  every  morning  at  one  o'clock. 
The  spirit  displayed  by  the  men — their  alacrity,  cheerfulness,  and 
patience,  were  most  admirable.  Although  expecting  soon  to  meet 
the  enemy,  their  deportment  inspired  the  staff  and  other  officers  with 
confidence  as  to  the  result.  The  march  was  a  fitting  prelude  to  the 
battle  of  Buen?.  Vista.  ;  • 

2o2  45 


354  EFFICIENCY    OF    WOOL. 

HE  march  of  this  column  from 
San  Antonio  to  Parras  is  an 
achievement  not  to  be  passed 
without  at  least  a  casual  re 
mark.  To  say  that  it  is  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  as  well 
as  praiseworthy  achievements 
of  the  Mexican  war,  is  but 
cold  approbation.  It  was  the 
accomplishment  of  a  series  of 
prodigies,  a  triumph  over  apparent  impossibilities,  the  master  efforts 
of  a  genius  whose  energy,  and  consequent  success,  appear  to  the 
common  mind  almost  as  miracles.  Wool  entered  upon  his  duties 
without  prospect  of  much  reward,  with  every  thing  to  accomplish 
and  nothing  to  win.  Even  the  men  he  was  destined  to  make  the 
soldiers,  looked  upon  him  as  tyrannical  and  incapable.  The  press 
teemed  with  censures  of  his  conduct,  written  by  ignorant  volunteers, 
whose  only  idea  of  discipline  was  to  fight  when  they  met  the  enemy, 
to  do  as  they  pleased  to  neutrals,  and  to  behave  in  camp  as  though 
on  a  western  prairie.  A  portion  of  the  press,  always  too  careless  on 
such  occasions,  echoed  these  censures.  Yet,  against  all  this  torrent 
of  injustice,  Wool  bore  up,  conscious  of  superior  ability,  and  indif 
ferent  to  any  other  reward  than  the  approbation  of  conscience.  Tha 
correspondence  which  he  carried  on,  while  organizing  the  volunteers, 
was  itself  a  gigantic  task;  yet,  at  the  same  time,  discipline  was 
strictly  enforced,  supplies  were  collecting,  and  preparations  for 
marching  were  carried  on.  During  the  march  the  persons  and  rights 
of  the  Mexicans  were  scrupulously  respected,  and  it  is  worthy  of  re 
mark,  that  Wool  seems  to  be  almost  the  only  American  general  who 
has  succeeded  in  gaining  the  permanent  good  will  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Mexico.  A  remarkable  proof  of  this  is  afforded  by  the  fact,  that, 
when  about  leaving  Parras,  he  was  waited  upon  by  a  number  of 
ladies,  who  requested  permission  to  attend  to  the  sick  and  disabled, 
which  he  was  obliged  to  leave  there ;  and  when  the  division  had 
marched  for  Saltillo,  these  wives  and  daughters  of  the  enemy  nursed 
their  feeble  invaders  with  the  most  affecting  tenderness. 

But  the  greatest  eulogium  which  can  be  given  to  Wool,  is  the  re 
port  of  the  conduct  of  his  column  at  Buena  Vista.  Amid  any  com 
mand,  his  troops  would  have  there  been  conspicuous  ;  but  when 
Worth's,  Twiggs's,  and  Quitman's  divisions  were  withdrawn  to  the 
Rio  Grande,  it  was  upon  Wool's  troops  that  General  Taylor  relied, 
in  his  terrible  struggle  with  Santa  Anna.  Fortunate  was  it  that  his 
nble  auxiliary  was  not  withdrawn  with  the  others.  Fortune,  hitherto 


TESTIMONY   TO    GENERAL    WOOL.  355 

averse  to  Wool's  reward,  seemed  at  length  to  relent ;  and  when  only 
disappointment  seemed  to  await  his  long,  laborious  exertions,  she 
unexpectedly  opened  to  him  a  more  glorious  field  of  triumph  than 
Chihuahua;  the  wrestlings  for  victory  with  the  greatest  chief  of 
Mexico,  amid  the  cliffs  and  gorges  of  Buena  Vista.  There  his  men 
learned  the  value  of  those  duties  which  they  had  once  despised ; 
there  they  were  enabled  to  meet  regular  troops,  and  grapple  with 
them  as  regulars ;  and  there,  also,  the  man  who  had  formerly  ap 
peared  harsh  and  unreasonable,  was  regarded,  while  moving  from 
rank  to  rank,  as  a  controlling  spirit,  he  who,  with  the  commander-in- 
chief,  would  maintain  his  position  until  cut  to  pieces.  It  is  stated 
on  good  authority,  that  long  before  the  battle,  Wool  chose  Buena 
Vista  as  a  position  admirably  situated  for  defensive  operations,  and 
that  it  was  upon  his  suggestion  General  Taylor  fell  back  to  it,  on  the 
afternoon  of  February  21st. 

HE  nature  of  Wool's  duties  was 
appreciated  by  his  commander, 
who  declares  that  his  obligations 
are  especially  due  to  him.  "  The 
high  state  of  discipline  and  in 
structions  of  several  of  the  volun 
teer  regiments  was  attained  under 
his  command,  and  to  his  vigilance 
and  arduous  services  before  the 
action,  and  his  gallantry  and  ac 
tivity  on  the  field,  a  large  share 
of  our  success  may  justly  be  at 
tributed." 

Similar  was  the  testimony  of  his  officers,  in  reply  to  his  order  bid 
ding  them  farewell,  when  their  term  of  service  had  expired.  With 
an  extract  from  this — one  most  remarkable — we  close  the  present 
chapter.  "  Upon  entering  the  service  a  year  since,"  say  the  officers, 
"they  [the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  first  regiment,  Illinois  volun 
teers]  were  not  prepared  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  discipline 
and  drill,  and  consequently  complained  of  them  as  onerous  and  un 
necessary.  Complaints  were  loud  and  many.  Their  judgment 
convinced,  their  feelings-  have  undergone  a  change,  and  they  now 
thank  you  for  your  untiring  exertions  to  make  them  useful  to  their 
country,  and  a  credit  to  their  state. 

"Whatever,  sir,  of  service,  we  may  have  done  our  common 
country,  or  whatever  honour  we  may  have  done  the  state  of  Illinois, 
to  General  John  E.  Wool  is  due  the  credit.  You,  sir,  brought  youi 
column  into  the  field,  well  provided  for,  and  well  disciplined,  and 


358 


TESTIMONY   TO    GENERAL    WOOL. 


fought  them  well  when  you  got  them  there  ;  and  should  our  country 
again  need  our  services  in  the  field,  it  would  be  our  proudest  wish  to 
again  meet  the  enemy  under  the  immediate  command  of  one  in  whose 
energy,  watchfulness,  and  courage,  we  and  the  whole  army  have  the 
most  unlimited  confidence." 

Such  a  testimonial  as  this,  unsought  and  disinterested  as  it  is, 
speaks  volumes  in  behalf  of  this  able,  experienced,  humane,  and 
courageous  commander. 


A  Texas  Ranger. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


SANTA  ANNA'S  MARCH  TO  BUENA  VISTA.       BATTLE-GROUND  AND 
SKIRMISH  OF  FEBRUARY  22. 


HE  last  few  chapters  have  been  devoted 
principally  to  the  movements  of  the  Ameri 
can  forces.  Meanwhile  important  opera 
tions  had  been  transpiring  in  Mexico,  at 
which  a  glance  is  necessary  in  order  to  have 
a  full  and  correct  view  of  the  great  strug 
gle  at  Buena  Vista. 

General  Paredes,  who,  as  we  have  seen, 
succeeded  Herrera  in  the  government  of 
Mexico,  soon  evinced  his  utter  inability  to 
maintain  the  popularity  to  which  he  owed 
his  position.  He  came  into  office  as  a  mili 
tary  ruler;  and  both  his  foreign  and  his 
domestic  policy  were  but  a  code  of  martial 
and  tyrannical  laws.  After  evincing  a  desire  to  prosecute  the  war 
with  the -United  States,  he  adopted  no  measures  to  meet  so  heavy  a 
responsibility ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  altered  materially  the  constitu- 

(359) 


360  RECALL    OF    SANTA   ANNA. 

tion  respected  by  his  predecessors,  deprived  the  masses  of  the 
elective  franchise,  abridged  other  liberties,  and  imprisoned  or 
banished  the  editors  of  such  papers  as  opposed  him. 

In  a  country  like  Mexico,  such  conduct  could  not  long  be  dis 
played  before  being  submitted  to  the  ordeal  of  a  political  revolution. 
Yucatan  speedi'iy  revolted,  and  has  since  remained  independent;  the 
citizens  of  Vera  Cruz  opposed  the  act  depriving  them  of  the  elective 
franchise,  while  ambitious  politicians,  military  aspirants,  and  other 
similar  characters,  united  with  the  injured  populace,  and  fanned  the 
flame  of  insurrection.  Some  of  these  being  detected  and  impri 
soned,  the  movement  broke  out  in  open  revolt.  News  of  Arista's 
discomfiture  on  the  Rio  Grande  added  to  the  tumult.  The  ven 
geance  of  an  injured  people  concentrated  itself,  that  it  might  descend 
as  an  avalanche  on  the  author  of  national  misrule  and  calamity. 
Paredes  quailed  before  the  storm,  and  implored  help  and  money  from 
the  clergy.  The  latter  met  in  council,  and,  after  mature  delibera 
tion,  decided  that  the  funds  of  the  church  could  not  be  appropriated 
to  any  other  than  ecclesiastical  purposes.  The  revolutionists,  elated 
by  this  declaration,  issued  a  .proclamation  against  his  government, 
and  elected  a  provisional  one  on  the  basis  of  the  constitution  of  1824. 
This  body  immediately  invited  the  return  of  all  persons  banished  on 
account  of  politics,  especially  "his  excellency,  General  Antonio 
Lopez  de  Santa  Anna,  who  is  from  this  time  recognized  as  general- 
in-chief  of  all  the  forces  engaged."  The  nomination  of  this  popular 
leader  gave  an  impulse  to  the  revolutionary  movement,  which  Pa- 
redes  was  utterly  unable  to  quell ;  so  that,  after  a  feeble  resistance, 
he  abandoned  the  capital,  and  fled  towards  the  interior.  He  was 
soon  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison.  General  Salas  was  named  pro 
visional  president,  and  immediately  declared  for  Santa  Anna,  affirm 
ing  the  constitution  of  1824  to  be  in  force,  and  calling  upon  Congress 
to  meet  on  the  6th  of  December,  under  its  rules  and  restrictions. 

All  this  had  transpired  during  the  time  that  General  Taylor  re 
mained  on  the  Rio  Grande,  preparing  for  a  march  against  Monterey. 
Santa  Anna  was  then  at  Havana.  On  receiving  the  above-men 
tioned  invitation  he  immediately  embarked  for  Vera  Cruz,  and  after 
passing  through  the  American  gulf  squadron,  by  permission  of  Pre 
sident  Polk,  landed  at  that  city  on  the  16th  of  August,  1846.  On 
the  same  day  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  movement  in  that 
district,  and  issued  a  proclamation,  stating  the  causes  of  Arista's  de 
feat,  the  unmilitary  conduct  of  the  war,  and  his  designs  as  to  its 
future  progress.  His  health  being  somewhat  impaired,  he  retired  to 
his  hacienda  near  Vera  Cruz,  where  he  remained  until  the  early  part 
of  September,  when  he  advanced  to  Ayotla.  On  the  15th  he  entered 


EXERTIONS    OF    SANTA   ANNA. 


361 


Santa  Anna. 

the  capital,  amid  the  enthusiastic  shouts   and  congratulations   of 
thousands. 

Under  these  flattering  auspices  Santa  Anna  commenced  his  govern 
ment  as  supreme  dictator  of  Mexico.  He  entered  upon  the  most 
energetic  plans  for  raising  and  equipping  troops,  and,  instead  of  re 
maining  in  the  capital  as  president,  he  appointed  a  substitute,  and 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army.  Decrees  were  issued,  call 
ing  for  funds,  creating  officers,  and  providing  for  the  raising  of  sup 
plies.  He  placed  his  head-quarters  at  San  Luis,  where  an  army  of 
twenty-thousand  men,  mostly  raw  recruits,  were  soon  collected.  To 
prepare  these  for  the  campaign,  Santa  Anna  made  the  most  vigorous 
exertions,  even  sacrificing  a  great  portion  of  his  own  estates.  The 
populace  entered  into  his  measures  with  enthusiasm,  and,  notwith 
standing  his  numerous  difficulties,  he  moved,  early  in  January,  1847, 
against  General  Taylor.  The  march  was  a  terrible  one.  Amid 
burning  deserts,  and  over  bleak  mountains,  without  a  drop  of  fresh 
water,  or  any  provisions  except  raw  corn,  and  occasionally  a  small 
slice  of  ham  for  each  man,  the  Mexican  general  conducted  his  army, 
day  after  day.  Yet  such  was  their  confidence  in  his  ability,  such 
the  strange  hold  which  he  had  taken  on  their  feelings,  that  they  bore 
all  without  a  murmur,  and  followed  their  chief  with  enthusiasm  and 
childlike  devotion.  No  man  in  Mexico,  except  Santa  Anna,  could 
2H  46 


362 


DESCRIPTION    OF    BUENA    VISTA. 


have  kept  them  together  one  day.  "  Our  troops,"  writes  one  of 
their  number,  after  the  battle,  "  are  perishing  with  hunger  and  thirst. 
They  have  not  drunk  water  in  two  days,  and  have  eaten  nothing 
since  the  day  they  were  at  Encarnacion,  and  a  slice  of  roasted  meat 
at  La  Vaca.  The  soldiers  are  scattering,  and  bodies  of  them  fighting 
and  charging  upon  the  enemy  wherever  they  thought  there  was 
water,  and  we  have  seen  them  disputing  among  themselves,  totally 
regardless  of  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  for  a  piece  of  ham  found  upon 
the  dead  Americans." 

REAT  as  were  these  difficulties, 
we  find  Santa  Anna  emerging 
from  the  mountains,  in  the  lat 
ter  part  of  January,  and  moving 
rapidly  towards  Saltillo.    After 
maneuvering   in   the    neighbourhood    for 
some  time,  he  reached  Encarnacion  on  the 
20th  of  February,  and  next  day  resumed 
his  march  for  Saltillo. 

The  field  of  Buena  Vista  is,  in  its  topo 
graphical  features,  so  irregular  and  intri 
cate  as  to  render  a  clear  appreciation  of  the  various  movements  of 
the  battle  fought  there  almost  impossible,  except  to  a  military  man. 
A  general  description,  however,  avoiding  details  of  the  military 
changes  in  position,  will  enable  the  careful  reader  to  form  a  tolerably 
correct  idea  of  the  relative  situation  of  the  forces  at  the  beginning  of 
the  action. 

Buena  Vista  is  a  small  village  or  rancho,  situated  five  miles  south 
west  of  Saltillo,  on  the  road  between  that  place  and  San  Luis  Potosi. 
The  American  baggage  and  supply  train  were  here  stationed  during 
the  whole  battle,  and  upon  the  small  force  left  to  guard  it,  a  portion 
of  the  Mexican  cavalry  from  their  right  wing  charged  late  on  the  23d, 
On  each  side  of  the  San  Luis  road,  precipitous  mountains  rose  to  a 
great  height,  thus  forming  a  narrow  valley  very  difficult  for  the  move 
ments  of  a  large  military  force.  On  the  west  side  of  the  road,  and 
extending  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  was  a  labyrinth  of  deep  and 
impassable  gulleys,  which  rendered  all  travelling  on  that  part  of  the 
valley  impossible.  Three  miles  below  Buena  Vista,  these  gulleys  ap 
proached  so  near  the  base  of  the  eastern  ridge  of  mountains,  as  to 
narrow  the  valley  to  the  width  of  the  road,  from  which  it  received 
the  name  of  the  Pass  of  Angostura,  or  the  narrows.  A  small  force 
placed  at  this  spot  would  be  utterly  inaccessible  from  the  west, 
almost  equally  so  from  the  mountains  of  the  east,  and  could  hold  the 
road  against  a  direct  attack  from  a  vastly  superior  foe.  In  this  strong 


POSITION    OF    THE    ARMY.  363 

defile  was  placed  Washington's  battery  of  three  guns,  supported  by 
two  companies  of  the  1st  Illinois  volunteers.  West  of  this  pass,  the 
right  wing  of  the  American  army  was  drawn  up  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountains,  their  eastern  extremity  stretching  towards  the  pass.  On 
a  broad  plateau  or  table-land  formed  by  extensions  of  the  eastern 
mountain  chain  was  the  left  of  the  army,  their  east  flank  covered 
by  cliffs,  and  their  west  by  Washington's  battery.  On  the  extreme 
east,  among  the  high  mountains,  were  situated  on  the  evening 
of  the  22d,  the  American  light  troops,  with  whom  and  the  Mexican 
light  infantry  the  skirmish  of  that  day  took  place. 

UCH  in  general  was  the  position  of 
General  Taylor's  army.  The  posi 
tion  of  the  different  regiments  com 
posing  the  two  wings  was  as  fol 
lows:  On  a  plateau,  directly  easl 
of  Washington's  battery,  were  six 
companies  of  Colonel  Hardin's  1st 
Illinois  regiment,  flanked  on  the 
left  by  the  2d  Kentucky  regiment, 
and  the  2d  Illinois  regiment  covering 
Sherman's  battery.  These  were 
charged  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
23d  by  the  Mexican  infantry  from 
Agua  Nueva,  after  the  latter  had 
repulsed  the  2d  Indiana  regiment,  and  O'Brien's  artillery.  East  of 
these  troops,  on  another  plateau,  was  [February  22d]  the  Arkansas 
cavalry,  who  were  attacked  late  on  the  23d.  North  of  these,  on  the 
broad  table-land,  Colonel  Davis's  Mississippi  riflemen  were  drawn 
up  in  battle  array  with  artillery  in  the  centre  and  on  each  flank.  These 
were  charged  by  the  Mexican  cavalry  after  the  repulse  of  the  Indiana 
troops,  but  maintained  their  ground.  At  this  time  the  enemy's 
column  became  divided,  a  body  of  nearly  two  thousand  being 
crowded  into  a  pass,  where  the  artillery  did  fearful  execution  among 
them.  At  this  point,  Colonel  May,  and  Pike's  squadron  of  dragoons 
were  preparing  to  charge  them,  when  a  flag  of  truce  from  Santa  Anna 
caused  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  which  enabled  them  to  retreat. 
That  of  Santa  Anna  advanced  along  the  San  Luis  road,  from  Agua 
Nueva,  a  rancho,  twelve  miles  south  of  Buena  Vista.  On  the  after 
noon  of  the  22d,  the  main  body  was  observed  moving  northward 
over  the  hills  in  perfect  order  of  battle,  their  direction  being  towards 
the  American  left.  Before  evening,  their  light  troops  were  detached 
still  farther  to  the  east  or  [American]  left,  and  on  our  reaching  the 
high  mountains  became  engaged,  as  has  already  been  stated,  with 


364  PREPARATIONS   FOR   BATTLE. 

the  American  light  troops.  On  the  following  morning  this  skirmish 
was  renewed,  while  at  the  same  time  the  main  army  wound  their 
way  northward  among  the  mountain  ridges,  and  divided  into  two 
portions,  one  of  which  charged  the  Kentucky  and  Illinois  regiments, 
of  the  American  left,  while  the  other  portion,  moving  towards  the 
north,  again  divided  into  two  columns,  one  of  which  charged  the 
Mississippi  rifles,  and  the  other  moved  round  in  a  western  direction, 
and  attacked  Buena  Vista. 

We  now  proceed  to  fill  up  the  foregoing  sketch  with  a  description 
of  the  battle.  The  immediate  command  of  the  American  army  was 
intrusted  to  General  Wool,  who  planned  the  action,  and  stationed 
the  troops  in  their  respective  positions.  At  eight  o'clock  on  the  22d, 
he  received  notice  that  the  Mexican  army  was  at  Agua  Nueva 
During  the  previous  night,  Colonel  Hardin's  regiment  had  thrown 
up  a  parapet  on  the  height  left  of  the  road,  and  extended  a  parapet 
and  small  ditch  from  the  right  of  the  road  around  the  edge  of  a  gulley. 
Vool  directed  a  similar  ditch  and  parapet  to  be  dug  across  the  road 
for  the  protection  of  Washington's  artillery,  leaving  a  narrow  passage 
next  to  the  mountains,  which  was  closed  up  by  running  into  it  two 
wagons  loaded  with  stone.  At  nine  o'clock,  the  advance  pickets 
discovered  the  van  of  the  enemy,  and  on  receiving  their  report, 
Wool  immediately  sent  information  to  the  commanding  general,  who 
was  at  Saltillo,  and  ordered  the  troops  stationed  at  Buena  Vista  to 
be  brought  forward. 

Soon  after  sunrise  the  Mexican  army  was  observed  moving  over 
the  hills  to  the  south,  their  infantry  drawn  up  in  columns,  supported 
by  deep  sections  of  cavalry.  As  the  heavy  masses  continued  to 
arrive,  moving  in  regular  order,  they  presented  a  most  stirring  spec 
tacle.  Their  new  uniforms  and  burnished  arms,  glittering  in  the 
morning  sun,  and  quivering  with  thousands  of  reflections,  seemed 
like  a  sea  of  steel ;  while  the  rows  of  cavalry  presented  a  pomp  and 
grandeur  of  appearance  far  beyond  any  thing  in  the  American  army. 
All  the  morning  they  continued  to  arrive,  until  the  whole  southern 
horizon  blazed  on  every  side  with  the  intolerable  splendour  of  their 
arms. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  General  Taylor  was  waited  upon  by  Surgeon 
Liegenburg  of  the  Mexican  army,  who  carried  a  white  flag,  and  the 
following  communication  from  his  commander. 

"  You  are  surrounded  by  twenty  thousand  men,  and  cannot,  in  any 
human  probability,  avoid  suffering  a  rout,  and  being  cut  to  pieces 
with  your  troops ;  but  as  you  deserve  consideration  and  particular 
esteem,  I  wish  to  save  you  from  a  catastrophe,  and  for  that  purpose 
give  you  this  notice,  in  order  that  you  may  surrender  at  discretion. 


TAYLOR    DECLINES   TO    SURRENDER.  365 

t 

under  the  assurance  that  you  will  be  treated  with  the  consideration 
belonging  to  the  Mexican  character,  to  which  end  you  will  be  granted 
an  hour's  time  to  make  up  your  mind,  to  commence  from  the  moment 
when  my  flag  of  truce  arrives  in  your  camp. 

"  With  this  view,  I  assure  you  of  my  particular  consideration." 
The  American  general  immediately  wrote  the  following  answer. 
"  In  reply  to  your  note  of  this  date,  summoning  me  to  surrender 
my  forces'at  discretion,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  decline  acceding  to 
your  request." 

immediate  attack  was  now  expected, 
but  this  Santa  Anna  still  delayed,  as  his 
rear  columns  had  not,  yet   arrived.     At 
two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  while  the  enemy's 
light  infantry  were  moving  up  the  sides 
of  the   mountain,  in  the  ravines  east  of 
the  road,  they  came  in  contact  with  the 
American  light  troops,  and  opened  upon 
them  with  a  large  howitzer.    On  hearing 
the  firing,  General  Taylor,  who  had  ar 
rived  on  the  battle-field,   supposed  that 
a  general  attack  was  about  to  commence,  and  made  such  changes  in 
the  disposition  of  the  Illinois  and  Kentucky  regiments  as  were  ne 
cessary  to  secure  the  plateau  east  of  Washington's  battery,  which 
commanded  the  road  to  Saltillo,   and  was  the  key  to  his  whole 
position.      Occasional  shots  were  thrown  from  the  howitzer  until 
after  three  o'clock,  when  the  American  light  troops,  under  Colonel 
Marshall,  engaged  the  enemy's  infantry  on  the  side  of  the  moun 
tain.     The  nature  of  the  ground  materially  affected  his  movements, 
so  that   instead  of  the   action    increasing   in  extent,  it  sometimes 
dwindled  down  into  unimportant  skirmishes,  and  at  others  assumed 
a  phase  of  some  moment.     The   effect,  however,  upon  the  Ameri 
can  army  was  most  striking.      To  the  far  greater  part,  it  was  the 
first  event   of  actual   war  they  had  ever  witnessed ;    and  as  they 
stood  on  the  broad  plateaus  watching  the  struggle,  or  wound  through 
the  narrow  defiles  from  one  position  to  another,  their  feelings  were 
excited  to  the  highest  pitch.     During  this  time  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy,  had  collected  in  the  road  near  a  rancho,  named  Encantada, 
from  whence  they  advanced  in  a  north-east  direction,  towards  a  de 
file  leading  to  the  key  of  the  American  position.     Their  masses 
gathered  in  order  of  attack,  but  it  was  soon  evident  that  no  effort 
was  to  be  made  that  night.     Meanwhile  the  firing  to  the  east  con 
tinued,  each  party  manoeuvering  so  as  to  gain  an  advantageous  posi 
tion  for  the  night.     The   sun   set  before  the  action  terminated,  and 


366 


TAYLOR   RETURNS   TO   SALTILLO. 


even  after  darkness  had  covered  the  wild  scenery,  the  firing  of  ligh 
arms  was  heard  from  the  heights.  The  loss  on  the  part  of  the  Ame 
ricans  was  very  slight,  while  more  than  thirty  Mexicans  are  said  to 
have  been  killed  and  wounded.  After  sunset  General  Taylor  be 
came  convinced  that  no  serious  attack  was  intended  that  night,  and 
accordingly,  with  the  Mississippi  regiment  and  a  squadron  of  dra 
goons,  he  returned  to  Saltillo.  The  night  was  excessively  cold,  yet 
the  Americans  bivouacked  on  the  bleak  rocks,  without  vfires,  and 
upon  their  arms.  The  scene  was  solemn  and  impressive  ;  high  rocks 
apparently  shutting  out  even  the  twinkling  of  stars,  soared  up  on  every 
side  until  lo'st  in  the  blackened  air ;  thick  darkness  gathered  around 
the  little  army,  the  air  seemed  clotted  with  oppressive  vapours,  and 
a  silence  that  pained  the  ear  more  than  the  jarring  of  cannon,  hung 
around.  Now  and  then  a  solitary  vulture  moved  heavily  through  the 
gloom,  making  the  stillness  more  awful  by  his  foreboding  scream. 
Many  a  young  soldier,  whose  heart  beat  high  with  the  longings  of 
ambition,  looked  up  fearfully  that  night  through  the  frowning  shade, 
and  t'irned  away  to  dream  of  home  and  sleep  his  last  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


BATTLE    OF    BUENA    VISTA. 


T  daylight  on  the  23d  of  February,  both 
armies  were  in.  rapid  motion.  General 
Taylor  had  reached  Saltillo  on  the  pre 
vious  night.  Near  this  place  General 
Minon  had  maneuvered  all  day,  for  the 
purpose  of  cutting  off  the  expected  re 
treat  of  the  American  army,  and  per 
haps  of  making  an  attempt  upon  the 
town.  In  order  to  be  prepared  for  any 
emergency,  the  commander  appointed 
four  companies  of  Illinois  volunteers  to 

garrison  it,  assisted  by  Webster's  artillery.  He  then  proceeded  to 
Buena  Vista,  and  ordered  forward  all  the  available  troops  from  that 
place. 

(367) 


PLAN  OF  THE  BATT 


miiiiiiiimimmiiitii 

m  iiiumiii'i  i  in  ii  mi  ii 

II  iiiuiiiiiiii  i  m;  ii  mi  u 
i  r  1 1 1 11 1 

I 1 1  iiuii  IMIII  1 1  ii  j  i   ii 


AAAAAAAAAAAAA  A/\AAAAAAAA 


:a 


REFERENCES. 


A.  2d  Indiana  Regiment,  with  O'Brien's  artil 

lery,  A.  M.  23d,  1st  Position. 

B.  2  Companies  Illinois  1st  Regiment,  Febru 

ary  22d  and  23d. 

C.  Washington's  Artillery,  Feb.  22d  and  23d. 

D.  2d  Kentucky  Regiment,  A.  M.  February  22d. 

E.  6  Companies  Illinois  1st  Regiment,  Colonel 

Hardin,  February  22d. 


P.  Enemy's  Battery,  8  pieces. 

G.  Indiana  Brigade,  February  22d. 

H.  Kilburne's  Artillery, detached  A.  M.  Feb. 22. 

I.  2d  Illinois  Regiment,  A.  M.  Feb.  23d. 

J.  Arkansas  Cavalry,  February  22d. 
K.  Howitzer  supporting  Light  Infantry. 
L.  Mexican  Light  Infantry,  Evening  Feb.  22. 
M.  U.  S.  light  troops,  Evening  Feb.  22d. 


r  .«'  BUENA  VISTA. 


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U     p  ^^^^  ^^ 

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REFERENCES. 

N.  2d  Kentucky  Regiment,  9  A.  M.  Feb.  23d.       W.  Mexican  Cavalry  charging  Miss.  Rifles. 
O.  2d  Illinois  Regiment. with  section  Sherman's    X.  Enemy's  Lancers  charging  Rancho. 

Artillery,  A.  M.  23d.  Y.  May  and  Pike's  squadron  of  Dragoons,  12  M 

P.  2d.  Kentucky  Regiment  skirmishing  23d.  Feb.  23d. 

R.  Infantry  Reserves.  Z.  Cavalry  Charge.  3  P.  M. 

n.  Mexican  Infantry  charging,  3P.M.  Feb.  23d.      1.  2.  3.  Route  of  the  Enemy's  light  troops, 
V.  Mississippi  Rifles.  3d  Indiana  Regiment,  and  ing  22d. 

^  "'"ery,  12  M.  Feb.  23d.  «.  Part  of  the  Enemy's  camp 

47 


40 

370  BATTLE    OF   BUENA    VISTA. 

*  •'-  %> 
During  the  night  the  enemy  had  succeeded  in  gaining  the  top  of 

the  mountain,  where  the  skirmish  of  the  preceding  evening  had  taken 
place,  and  in  passing  thence  to  the  left  and  rear.  Under  cover  of  the 
night  about  fifteen  hundred  men  had  been  thrown  forward  to  the 
same  position,  and  were  now  prepared  for  an  attack  upon  the  light 
troops  of  Colonel  Marshall.  Here  the  battle  of  the  23d  commenced 
at  an  early  hour.  Heavy  volleys  of  musketry,  succeeded  by  the  roar 
of  cannon  and  shouts  of  officers,  convinced  General  Wool  that  the 
left  wing  was  to  be  the  principal  point  of  attack.  The  intrepid  rifle 
men,  animated  by  their  commander,  received  the  shock  from  the  im 
mense  masses  of  the  enemy  with  coolness,  pouring  back,  in  return, 
the  contents  of  their  unerring  rifles.  Soon  they  were  reinforced  by 
three  companies  of  the  2d  Illinois  volunteers,  under  Major  Trail. 
The  troops  covered  themselves  behind  ridges  of  the  mountains,  in 
positions  perfectly  secure  from  artillery,  and  where  every  charge  of 
the  enemy  was  met  with  advantage. 

While  this  movement  was  going  on,  a  heavy  column  moved  along 
the  San  Luis  road,  against  the  American  centre.  As  they  marched 
rapidly  towards  this  point,  Captain  Washington  opened  his  battery 
from  the  pass.  So  terrible  was  the  effect,  that  whole  lines  seemed 
to  sink  at  every  discharge,  and  long  gaps  in  the  densely  packed 
mass,  told  of  the  sweeping  entrance  of  grape  and  canister.  Led  on 
by  their  officers,  the  survivors  pressed  forward,  under  this  withering  fire, 
until  within  full  range  of  the  captain's  artillery,  when  the  front  ranks 
recoiled  in  confusion.  The  whole  column  was  soon  in  rapid  retreat, 
leaving  behind  masses  of  dead  and  dying. 

These,  however,  were  but  preparations  for  the  main  attack.  Dar 
ing  the  whole  morning,  an  immense  force  of  infantry  and  cavalry  had 
been  concentrated  among  the  ridges,  and  under  cover  of  the  cliffs, 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  which  Colonel  Marshall  was  posted. 
They  now  commenced  filing  through  the  gorges  towards  the  large 
plateau  where  Brigadier-General  Lane  was  posted,  with  the  2d  In 
diana  regiment,  under  Colonel  Bowles,  the  2d  Illinois  regiment,  and 
Captain  O'Brien's  artillery.  On  gaining  the  plateau,  the  enemy 
rushed  on  in  crowded  masses,  the  cavalry  pouring  through  a  defile 
to  charge  the  American  infantry.  Lane  immediately  ordered  the 
Indiana  regiment  forward,  supporting  it  with  the  artillery.  This 
movement  seems  to  have  been  unfortunate,  as  it  separated  the  troops 
from  immediate  support  at  a  most  critical  moment.  The  enemy  per 
ceived  the  error,  and  collecting  all  their  force  in  one  united  mass, 
they  charged  like  an  avalanche  along  the  edge  of  the  plateau.  The 
Indiana  troops  had  not  reached  the  designated  position,  when 
Colonel  Bowles,  who  commanded  the  regiment,  without  the  authority 
of  General  Lane,  gave  the  order,  "  Cease  firing  and  retreat."  The 


BATTLE    OF   BUENA    VISTA. 


.371 


Repulse  of  the  Mexican  Cavalry  at  Buena  Vista. 

troops  obeyed  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  and  the  consequences  were  very 
disastrous.  The  services  of  this  regiment,  which,  up  to  that  moment 
had  behaved  with  great  gallantry,  were  nearly  lost  during  the  rest  of 
the  battle,  as  only  a  portion  of  them  was  rallied  by  the  officers,  the 
remainder  retreating  to  Buena  Vista.  Captain  Carleton,  in  his  ac 
count  of  the  battle,  expresses  the  opinion  that  if  this  regiment  had 
not  been  thrown  out  of  service  by  the  order  of  its  colonel,  General 
Pacheco's  division  would  have  been  cut  up,  and  the  success  of  the 
day  would  have  been  more  complete.  While  engaged  in  rallying 
the  Indiana  troops,  Lieutenant  Charles  Lincoln,  a  highly  esteemed 
staff  officer  was  killed. 

Unaware  of  the  loss  of  his  support,  O'Brien  galloped  on  until  he 
arrived  at  the  spot  pointed  but  by  General  Lane.  The  spectacle 
from  this  position  was  sufficient  to  appal  even  a  veteran.  The  hills, 
on  every  side,  were  alive  with  troops ;  horsemen  were  pouring  over 
the  ground,  and  artillery  vomiting  forth  floods  of  flaming  death.  The 
rocks  seemed  to  start  and  topple  with  the  hurrying  multitude,  and 
shouts  of  officers  and  cheers  of  men  rose,  like  the  roar  of  ocean, 
above  the  din  of  battle.  •  The  intrepid  O'Brien  saw  the  vast  host 
rushing  towards  him,  and  with  a  quick,  anxious  glance,  he  turned  to 
see  where  was  his  support.  He  was  alone.  With  three  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  a  few  cannoneers,  he  was  exposed  to  the  shock  of  the 
huge  multitude.  If  he  yielded,  the  battle  was  lost,  and  certain  de 
struction  seemed  inevitable  if  he  stood.  Flushed  with  victory,  the 
heavy  columns  of  cavalry  came  pouring  on  from  the  discomfiture  o* 
the  Indianians,  their  horses  crowding  upon  each  other,  and  sar 


BATTLE    OF   BUENA   VISTA 

rounded  on  all  sides  by  the  dense  masses  of  infantry.  Victory  was 
concentrated  at  this  single  point,  and  every  eye  on  the  battle-field 
was  bent  upon  the  issue.  Amid  the  deafening  uproar,  the  shrill 
voice  of  Wool  was  heard  far  in  the  distance,  calling  forward  the 
troops  of  Illinois.  The  sound  seemed  to  animate  O'Brien's  little 
company,  and  they  prepared  for  the  fearful  encounter. 

By  this  time  most  of  the  cannoneers  had  been  killed  or  disabled, 
the  captain  had  received  a  wound  in  the  leg  and  two  horses  had  fallen 
under  him.  Three  thousand  Mexican  infantry  were  pouring  showers 
of  musketry  upon  him,  while  a  battery,  three  hundred  yards  to  his 
left,  was  vomiting  forth  grape  and  canister.  Suddenly  he  opened 
his  fire.  Companies  melted  before  him  ;  alleys  and  gaps  opened 
along  aUthe  enemy's  front,  and  the  unerring  shot  rattled  upon  their 
cannon,  sweeping  artillery,  man,  and  horse  to  destruction.  Struck 
with  horror,  the  front  columns  wavered  and  fell  back.  Elated  with 
success,  O'Brien  advanced  about  fifty  yards,  and  continued  his  fire. 
The  van  paused,  rallied  to  receive  reinforcements,  and  again  moved 
forward.  In  rapid  succession,  one  discharge  after  another  was 
hurled  against  them ;  but  each  gap  was  filled  as  soon  as  made,  and 
in  one  desperate  mass  they  poured  towards  the  captain's  position. 
Finding  it  impossible  longer  to  resist  their  progress  he  gave  them  his 
last  discharge,  and  withdrew  to  the  American  line. 

N  arriving  here,  he  had  not  a 
cannoneer  to  work  the  guns, 
all  having  been  killed  or  dis 
abled.  It  being  impossible  to 
replace  them,  he  was  com 
pelled  to  apply  to  Captain 
Washington,  who  furnished 
him  with  two  six-pounders. 
With  these  he  again  ascended 
the  plateau,  where  he  came 
in  contact  with  a  strong  line  of 
infantry  and  cavalry,  covered 
by  a  heavy  battery.  He  was  himself  supported  by  a  body  of  infantry 
posted  in  two  ravines  on  his  right  and  left.  The  remainder  of  the 
American  artillery  and  infantry  were  engaged  with  the  enemy  about 
half  a  mile  to  his  left.  O'Brien  kept  the  Mexicans  in  check,  while 
the  troops  x>  the  left  drove  the  body,  opposed  to  them,  round  the 
head  of  the  ravine,  where  they  united  with  those  opposed  to  the  cap 
tain.  About  this  time,  the  latter  received  orders  to  advance,  and  at 
the  same  time,  the  enemy,  finding  themselves  strong  by  their  junction, 
came  on  to  meet  him.  The  position  of  affairs  was  most  critical,  for 


BATTLE    OF    BUENA    VISTA.  373 

if  the  Mexcians  succeeded  in  forcing  the  American  position  the  day 
was  theirs.  There  being  no  artillery  opposed  to  them  but  O'Brien's 
section  and  another  piece,  it  was  all  important  for  him  to  maintain 
liis  ground  until  the  guns  on  the  left  could  come  round  the  ravine  to 
join  him.  He  determined,  therefore,  to  hold  this  position  until  the 
enemy  reached  the  muzzles  of  his  guns.  The  struggle  was  a  terrible 
one.  Each  party  put  forth  its  utmost  strength,  and  the  feelings  of  the 
soldier  were  wound  to  a  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  that  made  him  reckless 
of  death  itself.  The  enemy  sunk  down  by  scores,  and  a  body  of 
lancers,  charging  the  Illinois  troops,  were  compelled  to  fall  back. 
Still  the  main  body  rushed  on,  shaking  the  mountain  passes  with 
the  trampling  of  their  armed  thousands,  and  shouting  above  the  up 
roar  of  battle.  The  wounded  and  dying  were  crushed  in  their 
furious  charge,  and  soon  their  horses  were  within  a  few  yards  of 
O'Brien's  pieces.  Here  they  received  the  last  discharge,  and  as  the 
driving  hail  smote  their  columns,  a  groan  of  anguish  followed,  and 
horse  and  rider  sunk  down,  and  rolled  over  the  rocky  surface  in  the 
arms  of  death.  It  was  a  dreadful  moment,  and  as  the  columns  swayed 
to  and  fro  beneath  the  shock,  and  then  sternly  united  for  the  head 
long  leap,  companies  that  were  mere  spectators  grew  pale  for  the 
result.  Although  O'Brien  was  losing  men  and  horses  with  alarming 
rapidity,  he  gave  orders  again  to  fire,  when  suddenly  the  few  recruits 
who  were  fit  for  duty  lost  their  presence  of  mind,  and  with  all  his 
efforts,  they  could  not  be  kept  to  the  guns.  Mortified  to  find  the 
fruits  of  his  gigantic  efforts  torn  from  him,  the  captain  rode  round  his 
guns  with  startling  quickness,  urging  his  followers  by  voice  and  ac 
tion  ;  but  it  was  in  vain — no  man  on  the  field  could  have  rallied 
them  ;  and  after  staying  at  his  post  to  the  last,  he  retired  slowly  and 
sullenly.  He  lost  his  pieces,  but  by  his  gallant  stand  he  had  kept 
the  enemy  in  check  long  enough  to  save  the  day. 

About  the  same  time  the  2d  Illinois  regiment,  under  Colonel  Bis- 
sell,  having  become  completely  outflanked,  were  compelled  to  fall 
back.  Colonel  Marshall's  light  troops,  on  the  extreme  left,  came  down 
trom  their  mountainous  position,  and  joined  the  American  main  army. 
Masses  of  cavalry  and  infantry  wrere  now  pouring  through  the  de 
files  on  the  American  left,  in  order  to  gain  the  rear  north  of  the  large 
i  plateau.  At  this  moment  General  Taylor  arrived  upon  the  field 
I  from  Saltillo.  As  the  Mexican  infantry  turned  the  American  flank, 
they  came  in  contact  with  Colonel  Davis's  Mississippi  riflemen,  posted 
on  a  plateau  north  of  the  principal  one.  The  2d  Kentucky  regiment, 
and  a  section  of  artillery,  under  Captain  Bragg,  had  previously  been 
ordered  to  this  position  from  the  right,  and  arrived  at  a  most  im 
portant  crisis.  As  the  masses  of  the  enemy  emerged  from  the  defiles, 


374 


BATTLE    OF    BUENA    VIS  MA. 


Davis's  Infantry  repulsing  the  Mexican  Cavalry. 

to  the  table-land  above,  they  opened  upon  the  riflemen,  and  the  battle 
soon  became  deeply  interesting.  The  lancers  meanwhile  were  draw 
ing  up  for  a  charge.  The  artillery  on  each  side  was  in  an  incessant 
blaze,  and  one  sheet  of  sparkling  fire  flashed  from  the  small  arms  of 
both  lines.  Then  the  cavalry  came  dashing  down,  in  dense  column, 
their  dress  and  arms  glittering  in  the  sun,  seemingly  in  strange  con 
trast  with  their  work  of  death.  All  around  was  clamour  and  hurry, 
drowning  the  shouts  of  command,  and  groans  of  the  dying.  Davis 
gave  the  order  to  fire ;  a  report  from  hundreds  of  the  rifles  rang 
along  his  line,  and  mangled  heaps  of  the  enemy  sunk  to  the  ground. 
Struck  with  dismay,  the  lacerated  host  heaved  back,  while  in  mad 
confusion,  horse  trod  down  horse,  crushing  wounded  and  dying  be 
neath  their  hoofs  in  the  reckless  rushings  of  retreat.  The  day  was 
once  more  saved. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Kentucky  regiment,  supported  by  Bragg's 
artillery,  had  driven  back  the  enemy's  infantry,  and  recovered  a  por 
tion  of  the  lost  ground.  The  latter  officer  then  moved  his  pieces  to 
the  main  plateau,  where,  in  company  with  Captain  Sherman,  he  did 
much  execution,  particularly  upon  the  masses  that  were  in  the  rear. 
General  Taylor  placed  all  the  regular  cavalry  and  Captain  Pike's 
squadron  of  horse  under  the  orders  of  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel 
May,  with  directions  to  hold  in  check  the  enemy's  column,  still 
advancing  to  the  rear  along  the  base  of  the  mountain.  May  posted 
himself  north  of  the  ravine,  through  which  the  enemy  were  moving 
towards  Buena  Vista,  in  order  to  charge~them  as  they  approached  that 


BATTLE    OF    BUENA  VISTA.  377 

place.  The  enemy,  however,  still  continued  to  advance,  until  almost 
the  whole  American  artillery  were  playing  upon  them.  At  length, 
unable  to  stand  the  fearful  slaughter,  their  ranks  fell  into  confusion, 
some  of  the  corps  attempting  to  effect  a  retreat  upon  their  main  line 
of  battle.  To  prevent  this,  the  general  ordered  the  1st  dragoons, 
under  Lieutenant  Rucker,  to  ascend  the  deep  ravine,  which  these 
corps  were  endeavouring  to  cross,  and  disperse  them.  The  squadron, 
however,  were  unable  to  accomplish  their  object,  in  consequence  of 
a  heavy  fire  from  a  battery  covering  the  enemy's  retreat. 

Meanwhile,  a  large  body  of  lancers  assembled  on  the  extreme  left 
of  the  Americans,  for  the  purpose  of  charging  upon  Buena  Vista.  To 
support  that  point,  General  Taylor  ordered  forward  May,  with  two 
pieces  of  Sherman's  battery.  At  the  same  time,  the  scattered  forces 
at  that  hacienda  were  collected  by  Majors  Munroe  and  Morrison,  and 
uniting  with  some  of  the  troops  of  the  Indiana  regiment,  they  were 
posted  to  defend  the  position.  Before  May  could  reach  the  village, 
the  enemy  had  begun  the  attack.  They  were  gallantly  opposed  by 
the  Kentucky  and  Arkansas  cavalry,  under  Colonels  Marshall  and 
Yell.  The  shock  was  a  heavy  one.  Colonel  Yell  fell  at  the  head  of 
his  column,  a  lance  entering  his  mouth,  wrenching  offhis  lower  jaw, 
and  shattering  the  side  of  his  face.  The  Kentuckians  lost  Adjutant 
Vaughan,  a  young  officer  of  much  promise.  The  enemy's  column 
was  separated  into  two  portions,  one  sweeping  by  the  American 
depot  under  a  destructive  fire  from  the  Indiana  troops,  until  they 
gained  the  mountain  opposite,  the  other  portion  regaining  the  base 
of  the  mountain  to  the  west.  Lieutenant-Colonel  May  now  reached 
Buena  Vista,  and  approaching  the  base  of  the  mountain,  held  in  check 
the  enemy's  right  flank,  upon  whose  masses,  crowded  in  the  narrow 
gorges  and  ravines,  the  artillery  was  doing  fearful  execution. 

The  position  of  that  portion  of  the  Mexican  army  which  had  gained 
the  American  rear,  was  now  so  critical,  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  it 
would  be  forced  to  surrender.  At  the  moment,  however,  when  the 
artillery  was  thinning  its  ranks,  and  May,  after  much  maneuvering, 
was  about  charging  their  flank,  a  white  flag  was  observed  approach 
ing  the  American  quarters,  and  General  Taylor  ordered  the  firing  to 
2ease.  The  message  was  simply  a  demand  from  General  Santa  Anna, 
requesting  to  know  what  the  American  general  wanted.  General 
Wool  was  sent  to  have  a  personal  interview  with  the  Mexican  gene 
ral.  On  reaching  the  Mexican  lines,  Wool  was  unable  to  stop  the 
enemy's  farther  advance,  and  returned  to  head-quarters.  The  object 
of  the  Mexicans  had,  however,  been  accomplished — their  extreme  right 
moving  along  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  joining  the  main  army. 

During  the  day,  the  cavalry  of  General  Minon  had  ascended  the 
2i2  48 


378  BATTLE    OF    BUENA    VISTA. 

elevated  plain  above  Saltillo,  occupying  the  road  from  the  city  to  the 
field  of  battle,  where  they  intercepted  several  men.  On  approaching 
the  town,  they  were  fired  upon  by  Captain  Webster  from  the  redoubt 
occupied  by  his  company,  after  which  they  moved  off  towards  the 
eastern  side  of  the  valley,  in  the  direction  of  Buena  Vista.  Captain 
Shover,  with  one  piece,  moved  rapidly  forward  in  pursuit,  and  being 
supported  by  a  miscellaneous  command  of  volunteers,  he  fired  seve 
ral  shots  at  the  enemy  with  great  effect.  After  being  closely  pursued 
into  the  ravines  which  led  to  the  lower  valley,  they  made  some 
attempts  to  charge  the  artillery,  but  were  finally  driven  back  in  con 
fused  mass,  and  did  not  again  appear  upon  the  plain. 

The  roar  of  artillery,  which  had  lasted  from  before  sunrise,  now 
partially  ceased  on  the  principal  field,  the  enemy  apparently  confining 
his  efforts  to  the  protection  of  his  artillery.  General  Taylor  had  just 
left  <the  main  depot,  when  he  was  unexpectedly  recalled  by  a  heavy 
fire  of  musketry.  On  regaining  his  position,  a  stirring  scene  was 
presented.  The  Illinois  and  2d  Kentucky  cavalry  had  been  attacked 
in  a  rugged  defile  by  an  overwhelming  force  of  both  cavalry  and 
infantry,  and  were  now  struggling  alone  against  fearful  odds.  Could 
the  enemy  succeed  in  defeating  these  troops,  they  might  renew  the 
main  attack  with  great  advantage,  and  perhaps  gain  the  day.  To 
prevent  the  catastrophe,  Captain  Bragg,  who  had  just  arrived  from 
the  left,  was  immediately  ordered  into  battery.  Feeling  how  impor 
tant  was  every  moment,  that  brave  officer  abandoned  some  of  his 
heaviest  carriages,  and  pushed  forward  with  those  that  could  move 
most  rapidly.  Gaining  a  point  from  which  they  could  be  used,  he 
placed  them  in  battery,  and  loaded  with  canister.  His  position  was 
one  of  imminent  peril.  The  supporting  infantry  had  been  routed, 
the  advance  artillery  captured,  and  the  enemy,  flushed  with  victory, 
were  throwing  their  masses  towards  him.  He  appealed  to  the  com 
manding  general  for  help.  None  was  to  be  had ;  and  nerving  him 
self  for  his  terrible  duties,  he  returned  to  the  battery,  and  spoke  a  few 
low,  hurried  words  to  his  men.*  Silently,  but  firmly  they  gathered 
round  their  pieces,  and  awaited  orders.  The  commanding  general 
sat  on  horseback,  gazing  with  thrilling  intensity  upon  that  handful 
of  troops.  After  all  the  losses  and  triumphs  of  the  day,  victory  had 
eluded  their  grasp,  to  hang  upon  the  approaching  struggle. 

*  In  connection  with  this  period  of  the  battle,  an  anecdote  is  told,  which,  although  we 
cannot  vouch  for  its  truth,  is  plausible,  and  highly  characteristic.  When  Bragg  applied 
to  the  general  for  reinforcements,  the  latter  was  sitting  upon  his  horse,  watching  with 
deep  solicitude  the  advance  of  the  enemy's  host.  His  reply  to  the  request  was — "  I  have 
no  reinforcement  to  give,  but  Major  Bliss  and  I  will  support  you."  Accordingly,  "Major 
Bliss  and  I"  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  were  soon  beside  the  cannon,  where  they 
remained  until  the  Mexicans  had  retreated. 


BATTLE    OF    BUENA    VISTA. 


379 


The  cavalry  were  almost  near  enough  to  spring  upon  his  guns, 
when  Bragg  gave  the  order  to  fire.  t  Suddenly  they  halted,  staggered 
a  few  paces,  and  then  closed  for  the  charge.  The  shouts  of  their 
supporting  infantry  followed  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  they  again  ad 
vanced.  The  cannoneers  had  marked  the  effect,  with  feelings  too 
intense  to  admit  of  outward  expression,  and  rapidly  reloading,  they 
again  poured  forth  a  shower  of  grape.  The  effect  was  fearful ;  and 
General  Taylor,  as  he  beheld  the  bleeding  columns,  felt  that  the  day 
was  his  own.  A  third  discharge  completed  the  rout.  Discipline 
gave  way  among  the  enemy  to  the  confused  flight  of  terrified  hosts, 
as  pouring  through  the  rugged  passes,  they  trod  each  other  down  in 
their  hurried  course.  One  wild  shout  went  up  from  the  American 
army,  broken  at  short  intervals  by  the  thunder  of  Bragg's  artillery. 

This  final  repulse  was  not  accomplished  without  a  melancholy  loss. 
It  fell  heaviest  on  the  Kentuckians,  of  whom  Colonels  McKee  and 
Clay  were  both  killed.  The  former  fell  amid  some  rocks,  pierced 
with  a  mortal  wound,  and  was  subsequently  hacked  and  mutilated  by 


380 


BATTLE    OF   BUENA   VISTA. 


General  Taylor  and  Captain  Bragg  at  Buena  Vista. 

the  enemy's;  bayonets.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Clay  was  wounded  in 
the  leg,  and  sat  down  near  a  rock.  But  his  sorrowing  followers 
rushed  from  their  ranks,  amid  the  enemy's  fire,  and  bore  him  in  their 
arms.  Although  the  Mexicans  pressed  closely  behind,  the  soldiers 
carried  him  until  the  road  became  so  rugged  that  two  could  scarcely 
walk  together.  He  then  begged  them  to  leave  him  and  take  care  of 
themselves,  which  they  were  at  length  compelled  to  do.  The  Mexi 
cans  surrounded  him,  stabbing  him  with  their  bayonets,  as  he  endea 
voured  to  defend  himself  with  his  sword. 

Colonel  Hardin,  the  pride  of  the  Illinois  regiment,  was  killed  in 
the  same  charge  with  Clay  and  McKee. 

In  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  a  portion  of  the  American  infantry 
pursued  them  through  a  ravine  so  far  that  they  got  out  of  supporting 
distance.  On  seeing  this,  the  Mexicans  suddenly  wheeled  round 
and  attacked  them.  The  infantry  were  in  their  turn  driven  back, 
taking  the  course  of  another  ravine,  at  the  end  of  which  a  body  of  the 
enemy  were  waiting  to  intercept  them.  Fortunately,  while  the  ca 
valry  were  pursuing,  they  came  within  range  of  Washington's  battery, 
which,  opening  upon  them  with  grape,  drove  back  their  column  in 
confusion,  and  saved  the  exhausted  fugitives. 

This  was  the  last  struggle  on  the  well-fought  field  of  Buena  Vista 
For  ten  hours  the  battle  had  raged  with  unmitigated  fury,  and  yet, 
strange  to  say,  each  army  occupied  the  ground  that  it  had  early  in 
the  morning.  As  night  crept  among  the  rocky  gorges,  the  wearied 
soldiers  sunk  down  on  their  arms  upon  the  field.  Although  the  air 


PREPARATIONS    OF   TAYLOR. 


381 


was  excessively  cold,  the  Americans  slept  without  fires,  expecting  a. 
renewal  of  the  attack  early  on  the  following  morning.  The  night  was 
one  of  horror.  On  every  rock,  and  in  every  defile,  piles  of  dead  and 
wounded  lay,  the  latter  writhing  in  torture,  their  wounds  stiff  and 
clotted  with  the  chill  air,  while  their  piercing  shrieks  for  aid,  and 
supplications  for  water,  made  the  night  hideous.  The  whole  medical 
staff  were  busy  until  morning,  dressing  wounds,  amputating  limbs, 
and  removing  the  dead  to  Saltillo.  The  wolves  and  jackals  stole 
from  the  caverns  of  the  mountains,  and  howled  in  startling  chorus, 
over  the  banquet  prepared  for  them  by  man. 

The  wounded  being  all  removed  to  Saltillo  before  morning,  Gene 
ral  Taylor  made  every  preparation  to  receive  the  enemy  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning.  Seven  fresh  companies  were  drawn  from  the  town, 
and  Brigadier-General  Marshall,  with  a  reinforcement  of  Kentucky 
cavalry,  and  four  heavy  guns,  under  Captain  Prentiss,.  was  ordered 
on  duty. 

That  Santa  Anna  had  determined  to  renew  the  attack  on  the  24th, 
there  can  be  little  doubt.  The  fearful  condition  of  his  troops,  how 
ever,  forbade  the  attempt,  and  before  daylight  he  was  in  full  retreat 
to.  Agua  Nueva.  The  troops  were  starving,  worn  out  with  the  toils 


382 


RELATIVE    FORCES   ENGAGED 


Lieutenant-Colonel  Henry  Clay,  Jr. 

-  •  i 

of  marching  and  fighting,  and  burning  with  thirst.  Desertion,  which 
had  been  prevented  only  by  the  hope  of  gaining  the  American  camp, 
and  by  confidence  in  the  ability  of  their  general  to  carry  it,  now  broke 
forth,  when  these  restrictions  were  removed,  with  alarming  violence, 
threatening  in  one  night  to  disorganize  the  Mexican  host. 

The  American  force  engaged  in  this  battle,  was  four  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  men,  of  whom  three  hundred  and 
forty-four  were  officers.  This  estimate  is  exclusive  of  the  small  com 
mand  left  in  and  around  Saltillo.  The  entire  regular  force  was  only 
two  squadrons  of  cavalry  and  three  batteries  of  light  artillery,  in  all 
not  more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty-three  men.  The  strength  of 
General  Santa  Anna,  as  stated  by  himself,  was  twenty  thousand,  a 
number  which  was  even  increased  by  accounts  from  prisoners.  Be 
sides  these,  General  Minon  had  a  large  force  near  Saltillo.  The 
whole  force,  then,  of  the  Mexican  army,  may  be  safely  stated  at  more 
than  twenty-one  thousand  men. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  killed, 
four  hundred  and  fifty- six  wounded,  and  twenty-three  missing.  Of 


EXCHANGE    OF    PRISONERS.  383 

the  wounded,  many  did  not  require  removal  to  the  hospital,  and  a 
comparative  small  number  were  permanently  disabled.  General 
Santa  Anna  states  his  loss  at  fifteen  hundred ;  but  this  was  probably 
below  the  actual  number.  More  than  five  hundred  of  his  dead  were 
left  upon  the  battle-field.  An  able  writer  makes  the  following  re 
marks  on  the  American  loss: — u  The  list  of  killed  and  wounded  on 
the  American  side,  is  a  mournful  proof  of  the  ferocity  and  violence 
which  characterized  this  severe  conflict,  and  a  sad  testimonial  of  the 
chivalry  and  fearlessness  of  the  American  soldiery.  Sixty-five  com 
missioned  officers  killed  and  wounded  in  so  small  an  army,  exhibits 
a  proportion  and  result  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  war.  Esti 
mating  General  Taylor's  force  at  five  thousand  rank  and  file,  and 
allowing  one  commissioned  officer  to  twenty  men,  the  startling  con 
clusion  is  arrived  at,  that  our  loss  in  this  sanguinary  engagement,  of 
commissioned  officers,  amounted  to  one-fourth  of  the  number  in  the 
field.  If  the  loss  of  the  rank  and  file  were  in  like  proportion  to  that 
of  officers,  it  would  exceed  one  thousand  two  hundred.  In  view  of 
such  terrible  results  as  these,  Santa  Anna  approached  as  near  the 
truth,  melancholy  as  it  is,  as  he  ever  did,  when  he  said  that  both 
armies  were  cut  up.  *******  The  army  of  General  Taylor  may 
be  considered  as  reduced  at  least  one-third  by  casualties  and  by  de 
tails  to  take  care  of  the  wounded." 

Although  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  Santa  Anna  had  fallen  back 
to  Agua  Nueva,  yet  the  American  general  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  pursue  him.  The  gr,eat  disparity  of  numbers,  and  the  exhaustion 
of  the  troops,  might  have  rendered  such  a  step  extremely  critical.  A 
staff  officer  was  despatched  to  negotiate  an  exchange  of  prisoners, 
which  was  satisfactorily  accomplished  on  the  following  day.  The 
dead  were  collected  and  buried,  and  a  large  number  of  Mexican 
wounded  left  upon  the  field,  were  removed  to  Saltillo,  and  rendered 
as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th,  the  enemy's  position  was  closely  re- 
connoitered,  and  was  found  to  be  occupied  only  by  a  small  body  of 
cavalry,  the  infantry  and  artillery  having  retreated  in  the  direction  of 
San  Luis  Potosi.  Accordingly,  on  the  27th,  the  American  troops 
resumed  their  former  camp  at  Agua  Nueva,  the  enemy's  rear  guard 
evacuating  the  place  as  they  approached,  leaving  a  considerable  body 
of  wounded.  General  Taylor  was  anxious  to  examine  and  threaten 
their  quarters  at  Encarnacion  on  the  following  morning;  but  the 
cavalry  horses  were  too  much  exhausted  to  attempt  so  long  a  march 
without  water.  On  the  1st  of  March,  however,  Colonel  Belknap, 
with  a  small  command,  was  sent  against  that  place.  He  found  there 
about  sixty  Mexican  soldiers,  and  about  two  hundred  wounded,  their 


384  REMARKS   ON    THE    BATTLE. 

main  army  having  passed  on  in  the  direction  of  Matahuela.  Their 
numbers  were  much  reduced,  the  men  suffering  greatly  with  hunger, 
while  lying  in  the  road,  and  crowding  the  buildings  of  the  hacienda 
were  the  sick  and  disabled,  the  dead  and  dying,  affording  sad  proof 
of  the  ravages  of  war. 

On  the  26th,  General  Taylor  issued  his  congratulatory  orders  to 
the  army,  thanking  officers  and  men  for  their  good  behaviour  during 
the  action.  Similar  orders  were  issued  by  the  Mexican  commander. 
On  receiving  news  of  the  battle,  the  governor  of  San  Luis  Potosi 
published  a  proclamation,  claiming  it  as  a  victory. 

We  have  before  adverted  to  the  difficulty  of  describing  the  action 
at  Buena  Vista,  arising  from  the  complexity  of  its  operations.  A 
similar  difficulty  is  experienced  in  forming  an  impartial  and  compre 
hensive  opinion  as  to  its  actual  merits.  Throughout  the  whole  day, 
the  position  of  the  American  army  was  rather  that  of  defending  a 
fortified  work,  than  of  fighting  a  pitched  battle ;  and  in  fact  the 
ground  was  better  adapted  to  defensive  warfare  than  any  fortification 
could  have  been,  unless  possessing  strength  of  the  first  order.  The 
configuration  of  the  whole  field  was  such,  that  all  cavalry  movements 
were  nearly  paralyzed,  and  even  the  masses  of  infantry  were  some 
times  divided,  and  their  movements  deranged.  The  pass  of  Angos 
tura,  in  which  Washington's  battery  was  placed,  is  one  of  the  strongest 
in  Mexico,  and  by  a  small  party  could  be  defended  against  almost 
any  odds.  The  right  wing  of  the  army  was  also  admirably  situated, 
so  as  to  rest  its  flanks  on  the  western  mountains  on  one  side,  and  on 
impassable  ravines  on  the  other,  while  an  enemy  must  approach  over 
broken  surfaces,  exposed  to  full  fire.  The  plateau  forming  the  key 
of  the  American  position,  was  so  high  as  to  command  all  the  neigh 
bouring  ground,  east  and  west,  to  the  mountains,  and  could  be 
reached  only  through  intricate  windings,  formed  by  ledges  of  rocks. 
Through  these  the  enemy  moved  to  the  attack ;  and  if  their  charge 
was  such  as  to  rout  one  regiment,  drive  back  another,  and  silence 
the  artillery,  we  may  judge  of  the  effect  which  would  have  attended 
their  operations  upon  a  field  like  that  of  Palo  Alto.  The  only  occa 
sion  in  which  an  open  ground  was  presented  to  both  parties  was  at 
the  charge  upon  Buena  Vista ;  but  here,  it  will  be  remembered,  the 
enemy's  column  had  been  lacerated  by  passing  the  ordeal  of  Bragg's 
artillery,  May's  supporting  infantry,  and  other  companies. 

But  while  the  candid  historian  is  obliged  to  exhibit  the  difficulties 
against  which  Santa  Anna  contended,  he  must  not  be  supposed  to 
imply  that  they  at  all  detracted  from  the  courage  of  the  American 
general  ir  risking  such  a  battle,  or  the  conduct  of  his  men  in  sustain 
ing  it.  Only  a  handful  of  his  little  band  had  ever  seen  an  action,  the 


REMARKS   ON    THE    BATTLE.  385 

remainder  being  freshly  levied  troops,  who,  under  any  other  than  an 
American  general,  would  have  been  employed  with  caution  and  dis 
trust.  Confiding  in  their  valour,  he  intrusted  to  them  the  fate  of  the 
battle,  the  safety  of  his  army,  the  security  of  previous  conquests,  and 
his  personal  popularity. 

It  was  the  commander's  influence  over  their  minds  that  wrought 
the  soldiers  to  enthusiasm  at  sight  of  the  enemy,  and  nerved  each 
soul  during  the  terrible  encounter.  The  whole  battle  was  a  series 
of  charges  on  the  one  hand,  and  cannonading  on  the  other.  It 
afforded  an  opportunity  not  only  for  each  regiment  of  the  Americans  to 
bear  the  brunt  of  action,  but  also  for  each  one  to  save  the  day.  The 
artillery,  in  the  language  of  the  commanding  general,  did  wonders. 
Had  O'Brien  not  maintained  his  position  as  he  did,  confusion  and 
rout  would  have  ensued.  The  same  would  have  followed  a  repulse 
of  Captain  Bragg  or  Captain  Washington.  But  even  after  these  officers 
had  behaved  as  they  did,  the  day  would  have  been  lost  had  either 
the  Illinois  regiment,  the  Mississippi,  the  Kentucky,  or  the  3d  Indiana 
been  routed.  Each  man,  therefore,  of  those  who  maintained  the 
whole  battle  did  his  duty ;  and  to  this  unanimity  of  action,  controlled 
as  it  was  by  confidence  in  their  general,  and  supported  by  the  laud 
able  emulation  between  the  volunteers  from  different  states,  we  must 
refer  the  greater  portion  of  success.  The  remainder  is  owing  to  the 
cordial  co-operation  of  the  officers  of  companies  with  their  men, 
which  continually  exposed  them  to  the  greatest  dangers,  and  was  the 
cause  of  the  large  list  of  killed  and  wounded  officers ;  to  the  remem- 
orance  of  former  triumphs ;  and  lastly,  in  no  little  degree  to  the 
ardent  ambition  to  defeat  the  greatest  chief  of  Mexico. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Mexicans,  they  were  not  possessed  of  the 
same  unanimity  which  marked  the  resistance  of  their  antagonists. 
Their  movement  from  the  front  of  the  American  army  along  its  left 
flank  to  the  rear,  was  an  admirable  one,  but  several  of  their  cavalry 
sections  did  not  perform  their  evolutions  in  time,  and  thus  mainly 
counteracted  the  effect.  General  Minon  also  failed  to  obey  orders 
to  attack  the  rear,  a  circumstance  which  perhaps  saved  the  hacienda 
of  Buena  Vista. 

In  effect,  this  action  was  one  of  the  most  decisive  of  the  whole 
war.  Had  victory  declared  in  favour  of  Santa  Anna,  the  American 
army  would  have  been  completely  annihilated.  The  conduct  of  the 
Mexicans,  in  murdering  the  wounded  on  the  field,  and  taking  scarcely 
nny  prisoners,  clearly  evinces  this. 

News  of  the  battle  was  received,  throughout  the  United  States, 
with  a  burst  of  enthusiastic  admiration,  saddened  only  by  the  remem 
brance  of  the  gallant  spirits  who  had  sacrificed  themselves  to  win  it. 
2K  49 


386  LOSS   OF   WAGONS. 

Every  demonstration  of  joy  was  exhibited  in  favour  of  the  general 
and  army,  who  had  achieved  such  a  triumph ;  and  official  bodies 
voted  various  testimonials  of  respect  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

ENERAL  TAYLOR  despatch- 
ed  the  news  of  this  battle  to 
Washington  on  the  2d  of 
March,  intrusting  his  papers 
to  Mr.  Crittenden  of  Ken 
tucky.  He  was  accompanied  by  an  escort 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty  troops,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  wagons,  under  Major 
Giddings.  On  the  7th  they  were  met, 
near  Seralvo,  by  General  Urrea,  with  about 
fifteen  hundred  Mexicans,  who  immedi 
ately  commenced  an  attack.  The  lancers  swept  by  the  rear  and  flank 
of  the  Americans,  hoping  to  throw  them  into  confusion ;  but  the  artil 
lery  and  musketry  being  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  they  retired 
with  some  loss.  While  this  was  going  on,  a  number  of  team-drivers, 
becoming  frightened,  deserted  their  wagons,  forty  of  which  were  cap 
tured  by  the  enemy  and  burned.  One  of  these,  being  an  ammuni 
tion  wagon,  exploded,  killing  and  wounding  ten  Mexicans,  and 
causing  a  number  to  run  away.  The  train  of  wagons  being  now 
broken,  the  enemy  placed  themselves  between  the  rear  guard  and 
main  body,  so  as  to  capture  an  infantry  company,  and  a  piece  of 
artillery,  forming  the  rear.  The  major  ordered  Captain  Bradly  to 
open  a  communication  between  the  two  portions ;  but,  while  he  was 
preparing  to  do  so,  Captain  Kneally,  who  had  commanded  the  rear, 
arrived,  and  informed  Giddings  that  his  party  was  surrounded,  and 
had  received  a  demand  for  a  surrender,  and  also  that  he  had  had  an 
interview  with  Langberg,  commander  of  the  party  that  had  assailed 
him.  One  hour  had  been  allowed  to  make  up  his  mind.  Major 
Giddings  immediately  requested  of  the  Mexican  officer  that  the  truce 
might  terminate,  and  instructed  Captain  Bradly  to  cut  his  way  through 
to  the  rear.  This  was  gallantly  executed  by  that  officer,  who  drove 
away  the  masses  on  each  side  of  his  course,  reached  Kneally's  party, 
and  saved  the  remainder  of  the  wagons.  Some  skirmishing  ensued, 
which  lasted  until  evening,  when  the  lancers  withdrew  to  Seralvo. 
A  party  of  the  enemy  were  afterwards  driven  from  some  springs  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  before  morning  their  whole  force  left  the 
town.  The  Americans  entered  it  on  the  8th. 

In  this  affair,  Major  Giddings  lost  two  privates,  both  of  Bradley's 
company,  and  fifteen  teamsters ;  the  Americans  had  forty-five  killed 
and  wounded. 


PURSUIT   OF    URREA. 


387 


A  few  days  after  this  battle,  Colonel  Curtis  reached  Seralvo,  on  his 
road  to  Monterey.  He  had  with  him  a  strong  force,  and  was  in  pur 
suit  of  Urrea.  Continuing  his  pursuit,  he  came  up  with  General 
Taylor  on  the  18th,  at  Marin.  The  general  had  with  him  May's 
dragoons,  and  two  companies  of  Bragg's  artillery,  with  which  he  had 
left  Agua  Nueva  to  pursue  Urrea.  But,  although  the  chase  was 
vigorously  maintained  until  the  latter  end  of  March,  Urrea  managed 
to  elude  his  formidable  pursuers,  and  retreated  beyond  the  moun 
tains.  The  American  general  retired  to  Walnut  Springs. 


Mexicans  killing  the  Wounded  at  Buena  Vista. 


Mexican  Indians. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


CONQUEST    OF   CALIFORIA    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 


.,  though  a  part  of  the  re 
public  of  Mexico,  has  always  been  iso 
lated  from  it,  forming  a  distinct  country, 
with  nothing  common  to  it  and  Mexico, 
except  that  the  inhabitants  are  of  the  same  race. 

Grijalva,  as  we  have  before  noticed,  discovered 
Lower  California  in  1534,  and  towards  the  close 
of  the  succeeding  century,  the  Jesuits  established 
themselves  in  it  to  convert  the  natives.  They 
found  them  in  the  rudest  state  of  barbarism,  but 
weak  and  indolent,  living  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  the  sponta 
neous  produce  of  the  soil.  The  efforts  of  the  missionaries  have 
nominally  converted  about  half  the  natives  to  Christianity,  but  the 
numbers  of  the  native  inhabitants  are  rapidly  decreasing,  and  the 
population  of  the  country  does  not  number  much  more  than  fifteen 
(388) 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


389 


Pearl  Divers. 

thousand.  The  peninsula  of  Lower  California  is  about  seven  hundred 
miles  in  length,  and  ranges  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  in  breadth, 
giving  altogether  an  area  of  some  thirty-eight  thousand  square  miles. 
It  has  argentiferous  lead  ores,  and  some  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  but 
these  have  been  neglected,  perhaps  on  account  of  the  greater  induce 
ments  to  adventurers  to  embark  in  the  pearl  fishery.  In  the  seven 
teenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  large  quantities  of  pearls  were  ob 
tained  by  the  Spaniards,  whose  cruelty  to  the  natives  brought  about 
the  interference  of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  fisheries  have  since  steadily 
declined.  .  The  divers  are  brought  in  vessels  from  the  opposite  coast 
of  the  Californian  gulf.  The  last  authentic  account  of  an  expedition 
thither  gave  the  number  of  vessels  at  four,  with  one  hundred  and 
eighty  divers,  and  the  results  at  about  twelve  thousand  dollars.  "*  In 
the  seventeenth  century,  when  vessels  rating  fifty  tons  were  employed, 
the  royal  fifth  usually  produced  about  twelve  thousand  dollars  for 
every  vessel  employed.  At  present  the  proceeds  of  the  expedition 
are  shared  out  after  this  manner.  The  largest  oysters  are  laid  aside 
for  the  Virgin,  and  the  remainder  are  counted  out  in  the  proportion 
of  eight  for  the  divers,  eight  for  the  owners,  and  two  for  the  govern 
ment.  The  greatest  advantage  is  probably  derived  by  the  traders  on 
shore,  who  supply  the  divers  with  spirits,  chocolate,  sugar,  tobacco, 
and  necessaries.  Sixteen  or  eighteen  little  vessels  are  annually  em 
ployed  in  the  gulf,  yielding  about  a  thousand  dollars  each.  The 
2K2 


390 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


products  of  the  sea,  if  properly  managed,  would  make  amends  for 
the  barrenness  of  the  land. 

HE  surface  of  the  country 
consists  of  groups  of 
bare  rocks,  broken  by 
ravines  and  hills,  in 
terspersed  with  tracts 
of  a  sandy  soil,  nearly 
as  unproductive.  The 
sheltered  valleys  yield 
maize  and  a  great  va 
riety  of  fruits.  There 
are  some  harbours  on 
the  coast,  but  the  in 
different  soil  near  them 
makes  them  ineligible 
for  the  sites  of  towns. 
A  chain  of  rocky 
mountains,  about  five 
thousand  feet  high,  runs  through  the  peninsula,  from  south-east  to 
north-west,  into  Upper  California,  where  it  divides  into  several 
ranges,  diverging  as  they  advance  north. 

The  part  of  Upper  California,  inhabited  by  foreign  settlers,  is  chiefly 
a  tract  extending  five  hundred  miles  along  the  shore  of  the  Pacific, 
and  bounded  inland  at  an  average  distance  of  forty  miles  from  the 
coast  by  a  range  of  hills.  The  most  southern  portion  of  this  region 
is  torrid  and  parched,  like  the  climate  and  soil  of  Lower  California, 
but  as  we  proceed  north,  the  climate  becomes  more  favourable, 
though  the  country  is  subject  to  long  and  severe  droughts,  which 
occasion  great  distress.  There  are  many  streams  in  this  part  of  Cali 
fornia,  which  carry  off  the  water  in  torrents  to  the  ocean,  during  the 
rainy  season,  and  cause  the  valleys  which  they  water  to  afford  good 
pasturage  for  cattle1,  which  are  found  there  in  large  numbers.  There 
are  but  two  tracts  of  country  capable  of  supporting  a  large  popula 
tion,  one  west  of  Mount  San  Barnardin,  about  the  thirty-fourth  de 
gree  of  latitude,  and  the  other  surrounding  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco, 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  Sacramento.  Nearly  all  the  establishments 
made  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  country,  prior  to  the  revolution,  have 
declined  with  the  fall  of  the  power  that  upheld  them,  but  the  com 
merce  which  has  been  since  that  period,  commenced  and  maintained 
by  the  Americans,  has  increased  the  population  and  resources  of  the 
towns.  The  first  settlement  established  by  the  Spaniards  is  San 
Diego,  now  a  town  of  three  hundred  inhabitants,  about  a  mile  from 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


391 


San  Francisco,  California. 


the  north  shore  of  a  bay,  which  communicates  with  the  ocean,  in  the 
latitude  of  thirty-two  degrees,  forty-one  minutes,  and  which  runs  ten 
miles  inland,  affording  entrance  to  vessels  of  any  size,  and  a  safe 
anchorage  from  all  winds.  The  passage  leading  into  it  is  defended 
by  fortifications,  which  if  properly  manned  and  armed,  would  render 
the  town  secure  from  all  naval  attacks.* 

San  Juan  is  a  small  place  on  an  unsafe  harbour,  sixty  miles  north 
west  from  San  Diego.  San  Pedro  is  not  far  distant  from  San  Juan, 
in  the  same  direction,  on  a  bay  sheltered  from  the  north-west  winds, 
but  exposed  to  those*  from  the  south-west.  The  country  near  these 
places  is  sandy  and  barren  ;  but  at  a  short  distance  inland,  in  a  north 
easterly  direction,  is  the  fertile  tract  above  mentioned,  as  lying  near 
Mount  San  Barnardin.  Wherever  this  part  is  properly  irrigated  it 
produces  wheat,  vines,  olives,  and  a  variety  of  fruits.  In  its  midst, 
thirty  miles  north  from  San  Pedro,  is  the  largest  town  in  California, 
San  Pueblo  de  los  Angelos,  containing  one  thousand  inhabitants. 
Near  it  is  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel,  the  vineyards  in  the  vicinity  of 
which  formerly  supplied  the  missionaries  with  good  wine. 

A  hundred  miles  westward  of  San  Pedro  is  Cape  Conception, 
greatly  dreaded  on  account  of  the  frequent  and  violent  storms  en 
countered  in  its  vicinity.  Opposite  to  this  cape  are  the  eight  islands 

*  Greenhow. 


392 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CALIFORNIA 


Santa  Barbara. 


of  Santa  Barbara,  four  of  which  are  barren  rocks,  and  the  others, 
Santa  Cruz,  Santa  Rosa,  Santa  Catilina,  and  San  Clemente,  contain 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  square  miles.  The  channel  of  Santa  Barbara 
separates  the  island  of  Santa  Cruz  from  the  main  land,  on  which  are 
situated  the  town,  fort,  and  mission  of  Santa  Barbara.  The  harbour 
is  an  open  roadstead,  sheltered  only  from  the  north  and  west  winds 
of  winter,  and  consequently  unsafe  in  the  hot  months,  on  account  of 
the  violent  hurricanes  and  storms  from  the  south-west,  which  then 
prevail.  A  sandy  plain  stretches  from  the  town  to  the  Santa  Barbara 
range  of  mountains.  These  end  a  hundred  miles  north  of  Cape  Con 
ception,  in  a  point  called  the  Punta  de  Pinos,  or  Cape  of  Pines,  be 
tween  which  and  the  Punta  de  Nuevo  Ano,  Cape  New  Year,  twenty- 
four  miles  north,  is  the  bay  of  Monterey.  This  is  an  almost  semi 
circular  indentation  of  the  coast,  on  the  southernmost  part  of  which 
stands  San  Carlos  de  Monterey,  the  seat  of  government  of  California. 
The  harbour  is  very  good,  though  but  an  open  roadstead ;  the  castle 
and  the  fort  are  mud  walls,  never  well  manned,  and  the  town  itself 
boasts  but  a  small  number  of  mud-built  houses.  The  mission  is  in  a 
valley  three  miles  south  of  the  town,  but  its  buildings  are  dilapidated 
and  nearly  deserted.  But  little  is  produced  from  the  soil  in  the 
neighbourhood,  although  it  would  be  fertile  if  properly  cultivated.* 

*  Greenhow 


... 


50 


DESCRIPTION   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


395 


Anchorage  at  Yerba  Buena. 

North  of  the  bay  of  Monterey  is  the  mission  of  Santa  Cruz,  a  resort 
of  the  vessels  in  the  Pacific  for  water  and  provisions,  and  farther  in 
the  interior  is  the  town  of  Branciforte.  Still  farther  north  is  a  bold 
promontory  called  Punta  de  los  Reyes,  the  Cape  of  Kings,  immedi 
ately  south-east  of  which  is  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  which  contains, 
among  the  high  hills  surrounding  it,  some  of  the  most  beautiful,  con 
venient,  and  secure  harbours  in  the  world.  The  southern  branch  of 
the  bay  extends  thirty  miles  south-eastward,  into  a  delightful  country, 
watered  by  streams  from  the  hills  and  the  lakes  of  Tule.  The  north 
ern  branch  is  contracted  into  two  passages,  forming  between  them  a 
basin  called  the  bay  of  San  Pablo,  which  connects  by  the  strait  of 
Carquines  with  another  basin,  containing  many  islands,  into  which 
empty  the  Sacramento,  and  some  smaller  streams.  The  Sacramento 
has  a  very  tortuous  course,  three  hundred  miles  in  length,  one  hun 
dred  of  which  are  navigabletfrom  its  mouth.  The  country  watered 
by  this  river  is  well  adapted  for  the  support  of  a  numerous  popula 
tion,  and  the  settlements  in  its  vicinity  have  advanced  more  rapidly 
than  those  of  any  other,  part  of  California.  At  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  bay  are  the  mission  of  Santa  Clara  and  the  town  of  San  Jose, 
on  the  north  the  missions  of  San  Rafael  and  San  Francisco  Solana. 
All  of  these  obtain  from  the  soil  near  them,  grains,  fruits,  and  pas 
turage  for  large  herds  of  cattle.  Near  the  south  side  of  the  passage 
connecting  the  bay  with  the  ocean  at  the  termination  of  the  San 
Buno  mountains,  are  the  town,  mission,  and  fort  of  San  Francisco.  A 


396 


DESCRIPTION    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


cove  some  miles  south  of  the  entrance  passage,  between  the  western 
shore  of  the  bay  and  the  island  of  Yerba  Buena,  is  the  principal 
anchorage  for  vessels,  and  here  a  settlement  has  been  formed  by  the 
Americans  and  English,  which  takes  its  name  from  that  of  the  island. 
Of  this  place,  now  chiefly  held  by  recent  American  settlers,  whose 
presence  caused  the  immediate  appearance  of  the  great  American 
means  of  civilization,  the  newspaper  press,  the  California  Star  speaks 
as  follows :  "  The  site  of  the  town  is  handsome  and  commanding, 
being  an  inclined  plane  of  about  a  mile  in  extent,  from  the  water's 
edge  to  the  hills  in  the  rear.  Two  points  of  land,  one  on  each  side, 
extending  into  the  bay,  form  a  crescent,  or  a  small  bay  in  the  shape 
of  a  crescent,  in  front,  which  bears  the  name  of  the  town.  These 
points  afford  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country ;  the  snow-capped 
mountains  in  the  distance  ;  the  green  valleys  beneath  them  ;  the  beau 
tiful,  smooth,  and  unruffled  bay  in  front  and  on  either  side,  at  once 
burst  upon  the  eye.  There  is,  in  front  of  the  town,  a  small  island, 
rising  high  above  the  surface  of  the  bay,  about  two  miles  long  and 
one  wide,  which  is  covered  the  greater  part  of  the  year  with  the  most 
exuberant  herbage,  of  untrodden  freshness.  This  little  island  is 
about  three  miles  from  the  shore.  Between  it  and  the  town  is  the 
principal  anchorage.  Here  the  vessels  of  all  nations  rest  in  safety 
and  peace,  and  their  flags  are  displayed  by  the  aromatic  breeze. 
Two  hundred  yards  from  the  shore  there  is  twenty-four  feet  water, 
and  a  short  distance  beyond  that  as  many  fathoms. 

HE  climate  is  here,  in  the  winter^ 
which  is  the  rainy  season,  damp 
and  chilly.  During  the  rest  of  the 
year,  it  is  dry,  but  chiefly  in  con 
sequence  of  the  continual  strong 
winds  from  north  and  north-west. 
There  is  but  little  variation  in  the 
atmosphere  throughout  the  year ; 
the  thermometer  ranging  from 
fiftj*fi ve  to  seventy  degrees.  Yer 
ba  Buena  is  one  of  the  most 
healthy  places  on  the  whole  coast 
of  the  Pacific.  Sickness  of  any 
kind  is  rarely  known  there.  The 
salubrity  of  the  climate — beautj 
of  the  site  of  the  town — its  con 
tiguity  to  the  mouth  of  the  bay — 
the  finest  harbour  on  the  whole 
coast  in  front — the  rich  and  beautiful  country  around  it,  all  conspire 


K<tw       • 


PRODUCTIONS   OF   CALIFORNIA.  397 

to  render  Yerba  Buena  one  of  the  best  commercial  points  in  the 
world. 

North  of  Cape  de  los  Reyes,  are  two  small  settlements,  which 
were  begun  by  the  Russians,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  their  more 
northern  possessions  with  beef  and  grain ;  but  their  relations  with 
the  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  were  always  unfriendly,  and  they  sold 
out  their  establishments  to  American  adventurers. 

The  interior  of  California  is  little  known.  It  has  been  frequently 
traversed  by  the  Catholic  priest,  and  the  American  trader,  but  one 
was  absorbed  in  his  spiritual  warfare  and  the  other  in  trade,  and 
neither  have  given  authentic  accounts  of  the  face  of  the  country. 

The  more  northern  portion  is  a  wilderness  of  lofty  mountains,  the 
southern  is  a  desert  of  sandy  plains  and  rocky  hills,  and  lakes,  and 
marshes  having  no  outlet.  There  is  little  probability  of  any  portion 
of  this  region  being  inhabited,  except  that  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Colo 
rado  river,  which  rises  near  the  forty-first  degree  of  north  latitude, 
among  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  flows  south-westward,  receiving 
other  streams,  until  it  reaches  the  Gulf  of  California.  All  the  ex 
plorers  who  have  visited  California  describe  it  as  a  magnificent 
country. 

HE  variety  of  the  surface,  the  soil, 
rich  loam,  the  thick  and  abundant 
forests,  the  immense  pastures,  and 
the  arrangement  of  the  mountains 
tending  to  preserve  a  perpetual 
spring,  have  all  conspired  to  lure 
thither  the  adventurous  spirits  of 
America ;  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  country,  remote  as 
it  is,  will  be  filled  up  much  more 
rapidly  than  equally  good  districts 
not  possessed  of  the  enchantment 
of  distance.  Mr.  Forbes,  who  was 
for  several  years,  the  consul  of  Great  Britain,  in  one  of  the  Mexican 
ports  on  the  Pacific,  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  country,  and 
gives  tabular  proofs  of  the  accuracy  of  his  statements.  Vancouver 
was  struck  with  the  quantity  and  variety  of  the  productions  of  the 
country  round  the  mission  of  Buena  Ventura,  appertaining  to  the  tem 
perate  as  well  as  to  the  torrid  zone ;  such  as  apples,  pears,  plums, 
figs,  oranges,  grapes,  pomegranates,  plantains,  bananas,  cocoanuts, 
sugarcane,  indigo,  and  every  useful  variety  of  kitchen  plants,  and 
medicinal  roots.  And  Mr.  Forbes  adds,  that  it  would  not  be  easy 
to  match  such  an  assemblage  as  this  elsewhere,  and  yet  this  is  only 
2L 


39S      PROMPTITUDE    OF  AMERICAN   OFFICERS. 

a  part  of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  now  cultivated  in  California.  In 
his  work  he  speaks  with  favour  of  a  project  not  at  all  agreeable  to 
our  feelings  as  Americans.  This  is  the  cancelling  of  a  debt  owed  to 
England  by  a  transfer  of  the  Californias  to  her  creditors.  It  would 
be  a  wise  measure  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  he  says,  if  the  government 
could  be  brought  to  lay  aside  the  vanity  of  retaining  large  possessions. 
The  cession  of  such  a  disjointed  part  of  the  republic  as  California, 
would  be  an  advantage.  In  no  case  can  it  ever  be  profitable  to  the 
Mexican  republic,  nor  can  it  possibly  remain  united  to  it  for  any 
length  of  time.  Therefore  giving  up  this  territory  would  be  getting 
rid  of  this  last  for  nothing. 

'  The  difficulty  having  arisen  in  the  mind  of  the  statesmanlike  author 
as  to  how  it  should  be  held,  he  concludes  that  if  California  were 
ceded  for  the  English  debt,  the  creditors  might  be  formed  into  a 
company,  having  a  sort  of  sovereignty  over  the  territory — somewhat 
in  the  manner  of  the  East  India  Company.  This,  in  his  opinion, 
would  certainly  bring  a  revenue  in  time,  which  might  be  equal  to 
the  debt ;  and,  under  good  management,  and  with  an  English  popu 
lation,  would  most  certainly  realize  all  that  has  been  predicted  of 
this  fine  country.  The  promptitude  of  Commodore  Jones,  the  ro 
mantic  bravery  and  gallant  daring  of  Colonel  Fremont,  the  chivalry 
of  Commodore  Stockton,  and  the  abilities  of  General  Kearny,  added 
to  the  far-sighted  policy  of  the  statesmen  of  America,  have  reserved 
for  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  the  right  of  realizing  these  pre 
dictions,  and  saved  to  the  British  consul-statesman  any  further  anxiety 
as  to  how  California  may  be  held. 

HE  value  and  advantageous  position  of  that 
country  is  known  and  appreciated  no  less 
in  America  than  in  England ;  and  the 
rulers  of  the  Three  Kingdoms  have  once 
more  been  shown  that  there  exists  in  Ame 
rica  a  power  capable  and  willing  to  put  a 
check  upon  that  monopolizing  ambition 
which  would  encircle  the  globe  with  a  net 
work  of  colonial  strong  holds,  from  which  to  harass  and  annoy  every 
other  nation  in  times  of  war ;  and  in  peace  and  in  war  to  pour  out 
the  tributary  wealth  of  all  the  world  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  of  Great 
Britain.  California  is  in  the  hands  of  the  American  people,  who  are 
beginning  rapidly  to  emigrate  thither.  Their  commercial  interests 
with  the  Hawaian  Islands  and  with  Asia,  will  immediately  become 
important;  and  a  frequent  intercourse  with  America,  will  com 
mence  the  process  of  the  social  and  political  emancipation  of  the 
enslaved  millions  of  Asia 


KEARNY  ORDERED  TO  SANTA  FE. 


399 


Intending  to  detach  the  states  of  New  Mexico  from  the  central 
government,  the  cabinet  at  Washington  determined  to  order  the 
organization  of  a  body  of  troops  known  as  "the  Army  of  the  West," 
to  march  to  Santa  Fe,  and  taking  that  as  the  centre  of  operations, 
subjugate  the  northern  provinces  of  Mexico.  Colonel  Stephen  W. 
Kearny  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  this  corps,  which  was  after 
wards  increased  in  force  as  the  duties  assigned  it  became  more 
arduous  and  extensive.  The  ability  and  kindness  of  heart  of  Colonel 
Kearny  made  him  very  popular  in  the  West,  where  the  inhabitants 
so  instinctively  recognize  and  encourage  military  talent,  and  his  only 
difficulty  in  mustering  the  forces  called  for  was  in  selecting  those  who 
should  be  taken  from  among  the  numerous  volunteers.  The  orders 
for  the  expedition  were  received  in  May,  1846,  and  in  the  month  of 
June,  Colonel  Kearny  commenced  his  march  from  Fort  Leavenworth, 
with  a  body  of  about  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
among  them  were  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men  forming  a  mounted 
regiment,  under  Colonel  Doniphan,  two  companies  of  infantry,  under 
Captains  Angney  and  Murphy,  five  companies  of  the  first  regiment 
United  States  dragoons,  a  battalion  of  flying  artillery,  under  Major 
Clark,  composed  of  two  companies  from  St.  Louis,  under  Captains 
Fischer  and  Weightman,  and  a  company  of  dragoons,  under  Captain 
Hudson  called  the  Laclede  Rangers. 

HE  officers  of  the  volun 
teer  companies  were  some 
of  them  graduates  from 
West  Point,  not  in  the 
regular  service,  and  all 
men  worthy  of  the  esteem 
and  confidence  reposed  in 
them  by  their  men.  While 
they  were  perfecting  the 
discipline  of  the  army, 
General  Kearny  had  col 
lected  ordnance,  subsist 
ence,  a  thousand  mules  for 
draught,  ordnance  horses, 
wagons,  baggage  trains, 
and  other  stores.  Lieutenants  Emory,  Warner,  Abert,  and  Peck, 
of  the  United  States  topographical  engineers,  hastened  to  join  the 
expedition,  and  the  whole  army  set  out  on  the  march  with  an  eager 
ness  not  a  little  heightened  by  the  rumour  that  Governor  Armijo  was 
in  arms  at  the  head  of  four  thousand  Mexicans,  about  a  hundred 
miles  from  Santa  Fe,  ready  to  intercept  their  march  to  that  place. 


400 


KEARNYS    MARCH. 


Dragoons  Exercising. 

They  moved  on  rapidly  to  Bent's  Fort,  a  trading  post  for  the  Indians, 
named  after  its  owners,  who  have  merely  erected  a  square  of  mud 
houses,  with  a  stockade  round  it.  The  march  was  attended  with 
difficulties  appalling  to  the  hearts  of  any  other  than  the  daring  spirits 
of  the  West.  For  days  together  they  would  be  employed  in  crossing 
immense  plains,  presenting  a  flat  surface  to  the  eye,  producing  in 
some  places  only  short,  poor  grass>  in  others  a  rank  luxuriance,  but 
for  miles  neither  bush  nor  tree. 

At  times  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  beating  through  the  tents,  and 
soaking  into  the  blankets  of  the  poor  soldiers,  who  lay  upon  the 
muddy  ground  in  the  utmost  discomfort.  Again  the  very  grass  of  the 
prairies  would  seem  to  engender  myriads  of  gnats,  who  would  put 
men  and  horses  to  the  greatest  torment,  penetrating  their  ears,  eyes, 
and  nostrils.  Gusts  of  hot  wind,  compared  by  the  sufferers  to  blasts 
from  a  furnace,  came  upon  them.  On  the  southern  bank  of  the  Ar 
kansas  were  to  be  found  only  large  sand-hills,  entirely  destitute  of 
vegetation,  the  barrenness  of  which  disappointed  the  troops  the  more 
because  the  rays  of  the  sun  playing  upon  their  pointed  tops,  gave  to 
them  at  a  distance  the  appearance  of  large  cities,  in  which  gilded  domes 
of  churches,  and  the  roofs  of  houses  seemed  plainly  distinguishable. 
Herds  of  buffaloes  roamed  over  the  country,  and  packs  of  Mexican 
gray  wolves  followed  the  camp,  attracted  from  a  great  distance  by 
their  high  powers  of  scent,  to  feed  upon  the  offal  of  the  cattle  slain 
for  food,  or  the  carcass  of  a  dead  horse.  Their  howling  kept  the 
poor  soldiers  awake  at  nights,  while  rattlesnakes  would  not  unfre- 


KEARNY   ORDERED   TO   CALIFORNIA.  401 


Bent's  Fort. 

quently  come,  attracted  by  "the  warmth  of  his  body,  to  share  his  bed. 
After  leaving  Bent's  Fort,  the  grass  and  water  became  very  scarce, 
and  the  prudence  of  Kearny  caused  him  to  put  the  army  upon  a 
rather  short  allowance  of  food.'  Some  merrily  congratulated  their 
iellows  upon  the  kindness  of  their  leader,  -who  thus  preserved  them 
from  the  well-known  bad  consequences  of  a  full  habit  in  case  they 
should  be  wounded  in  battle. 

Colonel  Kearny  had  some  time  before  received  a  letter  of  instruc 
tions  from  the  war  department,  in  which  he  was  informed  that  the 
president  considered  it  of  the  greatest  importance  to  get  possession 
of  Upper  California,  and  that  the  expedition  under  his  command  was 
expected  to  effect  it.  An  additional  force  of  one  thousand  mounted 
men  had  been  called  for,  which  was  to  follow  him  in  the  direction 
of  Santa  Fe,  and  be  under  the  orders  of  himself,  or  whomsoever  he 
should  leave  in  command  there.  When  he  had  got  possession  of 
Santa  Fe,  if  a  small  force  would  be  sufficient  to  garrison  it,  he  was 
to  press  forward  to  California.  The  great  body  of  Mormon  emi 
grants  on  the  way  to  California  was  mentioned,  and  the  propriety 
of  establishing  a  good  understanding  with  them  pointed  out.  If  they 
could  be  induced  to  raise  a  battalion  of  volunteers  among  their  com 
pany,  Colonel  Kearny  was  instructed  to  muster  them  into  the  ser 
vice  of  the  United  States,  to  be  paid  as  other  volunteers,  that  they 
might  aid  him  in  taking  and  holding  possession  of  California.  If  the 
2L2  51 


402 


ARRIVAL    AT   BENTS  FORT. 


American  citizens  he  should  find  in  California  were  willing  to  embody 
themselves  as  soldiers,  for  the  same  end,  he  was  authorized  to  re 
ceive  them  also  into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  The  naval 
force  in  the  Pacific  would  co-operate  with  him,  and  his  supplies  of 
ordnance,  ammunition,  and  stores,  would  he  sent  round  thither  by 
sea.  He  was  directed  to  establish  civil  governments  in  the  places 
he  should  capture,  in  both  New  Mexico  and  California ;  to  take  the 
oath  of  the  officers  of  government  to  yield  allegiance  to  the  United 
States ;  to  reduce  the  duties  at  the  custom-houses ;  and  to  assure  the 
people  every  where  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  United  States  to 
provide  for  them  a  free  government,  similar  to  that  which  existed  in 
the  territories,  when  they  would  be  called  upon  as  freemen  to  exer 
cise  the  right  of  electing  representatives  to  their  territorial  legislature. 

HE  inhabitants  were  to  be  concili 
ated,  and  made  as  friendly  as  pos 
sible  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
trade  between  the  western  states 
and  the  Mexican  provinces  was  to 
be  encouraged.  In  concluding 
this  despatch,  Colonel  Kearny  was 
informed  that  he  would  receive  a, 
commission  as  brevet  brigadier- 
general  as  soon  as  he  commenced 
his  march  to  California.  So  ad 
mirable  was  the  discipline  of 
General  Kearny,  and  the  spirit 
of  his  men,  that  the  two  infantry 
companies  arrived  at  Bent's  Fort 
in  advance  of  the  mounted  men, 
and  the  different  companies  march 
ed  into  that  place  at  the  very  hour  set  by  the  general  for  each,  and  the 
whole  army  on  the  day  he  had  appointed.  The  march  was  commenced 
at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  30th  of  June,  1846,  and  Bent's  Fort,  at 
a  distance  of  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles,  was  reached  on  the 
30th  of  July.  The  distance  from  Bent's  Fort  to  Santa  Fe  is  three  hun 
dred  and  nine  miles.  While  the  troops  rested  for  a  day  or  two,  pre 
vious  to  setting  out  for  Santa  Fe,  a  Mexican  or  two  strayed  into  the 
encampment,  sent  by  Armijo  as  spies  to  discover  the  number  and  re 
sources  of  the  army.  General  Kearny  had  them  marched  around 
about  and  through  the  camp,  over  and  over  again,  showing  them 
every  thing,  and  giving  them  exaggerated  ideas  of  the  force  of  the 
army,  when  he  dismissed  them,  with  the  message  that  he  would  see 
Armijo  in  a  few  days.  On  the  31st  of  July,  General  Kearny  issued 


KEARNYS   ADDRESS   TO  THE   PEOPLE. 


403 


a  prpclamation  to  the  inhabitants  of  New  Mexico,  in  conformity  with 
the  tenor  of  his  instructions.  At  Bent's  Fort  he  also  had  a  talk  with 
the  Chyennes  Indians. 

N  the  3d  of  August,  he 
pushed  forward,  and  in 
ten  days,  during  which 
the   army  suffered  se 
verely  from  sandy  soil, 
bad   grass,  bad  water, 
and    insupportably  hot 
winds,  they  began   to 
ascend  the  first  or  Ra- 
tone  chain  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.      The   ad 
vance  repeatedly  cap 
tured  scouts  from  the 
enemy's    forces,    who 
would,  when  discovered,  summon  the  Americans  to  surrender,  and 
then  lay  down  their  own  arms.     Their  weapons  being  taken  from 
them,  they  were  rearmed  with  proclamations  and  sent  forth  to  the 
villages  of  their  countrymen.    Many  of  them  made  a  very  respectable 
appearance ;  but  they  saw  for  themselves  that  they  had  little  to  hope 
from  an  encounter  with  an  army  composed  of  such  materiel  as  Gene 
ral  Kearny's,  and  when  the  kind  treatment  and  frank  deportment  of 
the  general  had  added  affection  to  their  reverence,  they  were  per 
mitted  to  depart  to  counsel  their  countrymen  against  opposition  to  a 
chieftain  who  would  treat  those  as  friends  who  did  not  molest  him, 
while  he  had  a  force  sufficiently  large  to  put  down  all  opposition. 
On  the  15th  of  August,  the  army  passed  through  the  Lower  Moro 
village.     The  town  consisted  of  a  miserable  collection  of  houses  or 
huts,  built  half  under  ground,  and  consisting  of  a  single  room  roofed 
with  logs.     From  the  top  of  one  of  these,  General  Kearny  made  a 
speech  to  the  people,  during  which,  he  made  the  alcaldes  swear 
allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  hailed  the  people  as  citizens  of 
that  country.     They  shouted  their  satisfaction,  which  was  made  real 
joy  by  an  exemplification  of  the  justice  of  General  Kearny,  such  as 
they  would  not  have  experienced  in  a  century,  under  Mexican  go 
vernors.     Notwithstanding  his  strict  orders  to  the  contrary,  some  of 
the  animals  of  the  army  got  into  the  fields  near  the  town,  and  did 
some  little  damage  to  the  standing  crop  of  corn  and  wheat.     Gene 
ral  Kearny  summoned  the  alcalde,  informed  him  of  the  circumstance, 
directed  him  to  examine  the  fields,  ascertain  what  the  damage  was 
to  each  man,  and  send  a  statement  of  it  to  Santa  Fe,  where  they 


404  ARRIVAL    AT   SAN    MIGUEL. 

would  be  fully  compensated.  The  intelligence  of  this  incident 
doubtless  spread  through  the  surrounding  region  rapidly,  as  when 
General  Kearny  "  naturalized"  the  people  of  the  next  villages,  as  he 
had  done  those  of  the  Lower  Moro,  they  displayed  very  great  en 
thusiasm,  and  brought  forward  their  wives  to  exchange  congratula 
tions  with  the  general. 

Captain  Cooke  had  been  sent  forward  to  Santa  Fe  to  communicate 
with  Governor  Armijo,  and  he  now  returned  with  the  information  that 
that  functionary  would  oppose  the  invasion  with  an  army.  Antici 
pating  an  attack  in  every  mountain  pass,  General  Kearny  exercised 
the  troops  at  each  one,  always  getting  his  army  through  with  a  celerity 
that  would  have  utterly  disconcerted  an  enemy,  had  there  been  one 
at  hand. 

N  the  16th  of  August,  the  army  came  to 
San  Miguel,  a  village  built    like    the 
others  of  sunburnt    bricks,   with    flat 
roofs.      We    extract   from   Lieutenant 
Emory's  Journal,  the  following  account 
of  the  proceedings  at  this  place.  "  Af 
ter  much  delay,  the  alcalde  and  the 
padre  were  found,   and  presented  to 
General  Kearny.     They  received  him 
politely,  but  it  was  evident  that  they  did 
not  relish  an  interview  with  him.   This 
village  contains  a  respectable  church, 
and  about  two  or  three  hundred  houses. 
The  general  expressed  a  wish  to  ascend  one  of  the  houses,  with  the 
priests  and  alcalde,  and  to  address  the  people  of  the  town,  informing 
them  of  the  object  of  his  mission.     After  many  evasions,  delays,  and 
useless  speeches,  the  padre  made  a  speech,  stating  that   *  he  was  a 
Mexican,  but  should  obey  the  laws  that  were  placed  over  him  for 
the  time,  but  if  the  general  should  point  all  his  cannon  at  his  breast, 
he  could  not  consent  to  go  up  there  and  address  the  people.'     The 
general  very  mildly  told  him,  through  the  interpreter,  Mr.  Robideau, 
that  he  had  not  come  to  injure  him,  nor  did  he  wish  him  to  address 
the  people.     He  only  wished  him  to  go  up  there  and  hear  him  (the 
general)  address  them.     The  padre  still  fought  shy,  and  commenced 
a  long  speech,  which  the  general  interrupted,  and  told  him  he  had 
no  time  to  listen  to  useless  remarks,  and  repeated  that  he  only  wanted 
him  to  go  up  and  listen  to  his  speech.     He  consented.     The  general 
made  pretty  much  the  same  remarks  to  the  alcalde  and  the  people 
that  he  had  made  to  the  people  of  the  other  villages.     He  assured 
them  that  he  had  an  ample  force  and  would  have  possession  of  the 


OATH    OF   ALLEGIANCE.  405 

country  against  all  opposition,  but  gave  them  assurances  of  the  friend 
ship  and  protection  of  the  United  States.  He  stated  to  them  that 
this  had  never  been  given  them  by  the  government  of  Mexico,  but 
that  the  United  States  were  able  and  would  certainly  protect  them, 
not  only  in  their  persons,  property,  and  religion,  but  against  tht 
cruel  invasions  of  the  Indians.  That  they  saw  but  a  small  part  ol 
the  force  that  was  at  his  disposal.  Many  more  troops  were  near  him 
on  another  road,  (some  of  which  he  showed  them  a  mile  or  two  dis 
tant,)  and  another  army  would  probably  pass  through  their  village  in 
three  weeks.  After  this  he  said,  '  Mr.  Alcalde,  are  you  willing  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  ?'  He  replied  that  he 
would  prefer  waiting  till  the  general  had  taken  possession  of  the 
capital.  The  general  told  him,  it  was  sufficient  for  him  to  know  that 
he  had  possession  of  his  village.  He  then  consented,  and  with  the 
usual  formalities  he  said :  *  You  swear  that  you  will  bear  true  alle 
giance  to  the  United  States  of  America.'  The  alcalde  said,  c  pro 
vided  I  can  be  protected  in  my  religion.'  General  Kearny  said,  *I 
swear  you  shall  be.'  He  then  continued ;  *  and  that  you  will  defend 
her  against  all  her  enemies  and  opposers,  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  Amen.'  The  general  then  said,  (l  continue 
you  as  the  alcalde  of  this  village  ;  and  require  you,  the  inhabitants 
of  this  village,  to  obey  him  as  such.  Your  laws  will  be  continued 
for  the  present, — but  as  soon  as  I  have  time  to  examine  them,  if  any 
change  can  be  made  that  will  be  for  your  benefit,  it  shall  be  done.' 
After  shaking  hands  with  them,  he  left.  The  padre  then  invited 
him  to  his  house,  and  gave  him  and  his  staff  refreshments ;  and  after 
sundry  hugs,  jokes,  and  professions  of  friendships,  with  an  expression 
from  the  general,  that  the  '  better  they  became  acquainted,  the  better 
friends  they  would  be,'  and  an  invitation  to  the  padre  to  visit  him 
at  Santa  Fe,  (which  he  promised,)  we  left  the  village.  The  padre 
was  evidently  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  village,  and  the  alcalde  was 
under  great  restraint  by  his  presence.  The  visit  to  the  priest,  and 
the  frank  and  friendly  manner  of  the  general  had  the  desired  effect, — 
and  I  believe  they  parted  the  best  of  friends,  and  have  no  doubt  that 
the  inhabitants  of  San  Miguel  will  soon  be  as  good  democrats  as  can 
be  found  in  Missouri." 

This  is  but  one  among  many  specimens  of  the  humane  and  con 
ciliating  spirit  which  has  generally  actuated  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  in  the  prosecution  of  the  recent  war  with  Mexico.  The  con 
trast  afforded  by  the  affability,  magnanimity,  and  justice  of  our  officers 
to  the  arrogance  and  oppression  of  their  own  rulers  could  not  fail 
to  produce  a  great  effect.  It  acted  forcibly  upon  a  people  whose 
sensibility  to  moral  influences  is  by  no  means  remarkable. 


406 


TAKING   OF    SANTA   FE. 


,ENERAL  KEARNY,  on  leaving  this  vil 
lage,  learned  that  Armijo  had  sent 
General  Salazar  to  command  the 
troops  that  were  to  oppose  the  Ame 
ricans,  saying  that  he  would  remain 
himself  to  defend  the  town.  On  the 
next  day  the  son  of  Salazar  was 
taken  prisoner.  He  gave  informa 
tion  of  the  departure  of  the  Mexican 
army  for  their  homes.  He  was  de 
tained  as  a  prisoner,  and  the  march 
continued  with  the  same  caution  as 
before.  Americans  came  from  Santa 
Fe,  reporting  that  Armijo  had  fled 
from  that  place  towards  Chihuahua, 
taking  with  him  a  hundred  dragoons  and  his  cannon.  On  the  18th 
of  August,  the  army  came  to  the  canon,  where  a  few  days  before 
three  thousand  Mexicans  were  assembled.  But  as  the  Americans 
approached  they  began  to  run  away,  and  when  they  passed  through, 
not  an  enemy  was  to  be  found.  Notice  was  sent  by  General  Kearny 
to  Salazar,  that  his  son  would  be  held  as  a  hostage  for  his  be 
haviour,  and  that  any  disturbance  on  his  own  part  would  prove  fatal 
to  his  offspring.  The  army  marched  into  the  public  square  of  Santa 
Fe,  and  were  received  by  the  acting  governor  and  other  dignitaries, 
to  whom  General  Kearny  gave  assurances  of  safety  and  protection  to 
all  quiet  citizens.  Meanwhile  Major  Swords  hoisted  the  stars  and 
stripes  on  the  flag-staff  of  the  palace,  and  Captains  Fischer  and 
Weightman  hailed  it  with  a  salute  from  their  batteries.  The  first  gun 
was  fired  at  the  moment  the  general  was  proclaiming  the  conquest 
of  New  Mexico.  "  There,"  said  he,  "  my  guns  proclaim  that  the 
flag  of  the  United  States  floats  over  this  capital."  The  people  made 
no  objection.  The  general  was  mild  and  courteous  in  explaining 
his  intentions  to  the  populace,  but  gave  them  to  understand  that  he 
would  use  the  force  at  his  disposal,  if  necessary.  He  would  close 
his  harangues  after  this  manner,  "  I  claim  the  whole  of  New  Mexico 
for  the  United  States.  I  put  my  hand  on  it  from  this  moment,  (bring 
ing  his  hand  firmly  down  on  his  thigh,)  and  demand  obedience  to  its 
laws."*  The  people  of  Santa  Fe  were  absolved  from  their  allegiance 
to  Mexico,  General  Kearny  proclaimed  himself  governor  of  the  pro 
vince,  and  claimed  the  inhabitants  as  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
He  had  the  address  to  quiet  their  fears  and  win  their  respect,  and 


*  Lieutenant  Emory's  Journal. 


CAPTURE    OF    CANNON. 


407 


Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico. 


they  replied  to  the  addresses  delivered,  when  the  alcalde  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  with  the  cries  of  "  long  live 
the  general."  Captain  Fischer  retook  the  cannon  carried  off  by 
Armijo  in  his  flight.  The  gun  taken  from  the  Texans,  of  the  famous 
Santa  Fe  expedition,  had  its  carriage  destroyed,  and  was  hidden  in 
the  mountain,  but  the  Americans  dug  it  up  and  brought  it  into  camp. 
It  is  a  six-pounder,  bearing  the  "  lone  star"  of  Texas,  and  the 
name  of  her  ex-governor,  M.  B.  Lamar.  The  Americans  adopted  it 
as  a  favourite,  and  used  it  in  firing  their  morning  and  evening  signals. 
Had  Governor  Armijo  been  half  as  courageous  as  he  is  known  to 
be  cruel,  the  army  of  General  Kearny  would  probably  have  failed  to 
reach  Santa  Fe.  F.  S.  Edwards,  Esq.,  one  of  the  many  intelligent 
gentlemen  who  displayed  their  patriotism  by  serving  in  the  ranks  on 
this  arduous  expedition,  says,  in  his  narrative  of  the  campaign, — "  The 
day  on  which  we  reached  Santa  Fe,  we  passed  through  the  narrow 
defile  in  which  we  were  to  have  been  resisted.  On  seeing  the  great 
advantages  we  should  have  had  to  fight  against,  we  could  only  look 
at  each  other  with  a  stare  expressive  of,  *  we  are  well  out  of  it.'  The 
canon,  or  valley,  in  which  the  enemy  were  to  have  met  us,  winds 
between  high  mountains  for  miles,  and  then,  after  passing  between 
two  enormous  perpendicular  rocky  precipices,  ascends  and  widens 
gradually  for  some  yards.  The  road  is  on  a  narrow  shelf  of  the 
rock,  only  just  wide  enough  for  a  wagon,  the  rest  of  the  gorge  being 


40S 


DESCRIPTION    OF    SANTA    F  E. 


a  deep,  rocky  gully,  about  twenty  yards  across.  Just  at  the  top  of 
the  slight  ascent  in  the  road,  the  Mexicans,  it  seems,  had  planted 
their  battery,  having  felled  some  trees  and  thrown  them  across  the 
pass,  thus  occupying  a  raking  position  along  it.  The  rocks  on  each 
side  being  too  steep  to  climb,  the  only  way  for  us  would  have  been 
to  carry  the  position  by  a  coup  de  main ;  and  this,  well  armed  with 
artillery  as  they  were,  would  have  been  no  easy  affair  for  us.  In  fact, 
five  hundred  resolute  men  could  have  defended  the  pass  against 
twice  our  force.  On  the  evening  of  the  eighteenth  day  of  August, 
we  fired  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns  over  the  city  of  Santa  Fe.  Our 
first  view  of  this  place  was  very  discouraging.  Although  much 
larger  than  any  we  had  seen  yet,  still  there  were  the  same  mud  walls 
and  roofs,  and  the  accompaniments  of  dirt,  .pigs,  and  naked  chil 
dren.  The  city  was,  in  a  measure,  deserted,  the  inhabitants  having 
been  persuaded  that  we  should  rob  and  ill  treat  every  body,  and  de 
stroy  every  thing.  Sobbing  and  crying  were  heard  from  the  houses, 
and  it  was  only  after  a  long  speech  from  our  general,  that  they  were 
at  all  pacified. 

_-=—  •  — -g=^= — 3^^=^.      HE  city  of  Santa  Fe,  although  spread 

over  a  large  extent  of  ground,  is  very 
thinly  inhabited,  and,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  buildings  around  the  public 
plaza,  consists  only  of  scattered  huts, 
surrounded  by  large  fields  of  Indian 
corn.  On  one  side  of  the  public  square, 
which  is  of  considerable  extent,  stands 
the  governor's  palace.  It  is  the  only 
building  in  the  whole  city  having  glazed 
windows.  The  palace  is  a  long,  mud 
edifice,  one  story  high,  with  a  portico 
formed  by  extending  the  roof  some  dis 
tance  over  the  street,  and  supported  by 
smooth  trunks  of  trees.  This  portico  is 
also  extended  in  front  of  all  the  houses 
facing  the  plaza,  and  it  proved  a  com 
fortable  protection  to  our  poor  sentinels 
in  rainy  weather.  The  palace  has,  at  one  end,  the  government  print 
ing-office,  and  at  the  other  the  guard-house  and  calaboose,  or  prison. 
There  are  fearful  stories,  connecting  Armijo's  name  with  this  prison, 
and  the  known  brutality  of  his  disposition  has  undoubtedly  here  led 
him  to  sacrifice,  for  their  gold,  better  men  than  himself.  Around  the 
three  remaining  sides  of  the  plaza,  were  small  shops,  for  the  accom 
modation  of  traders,  who  immediately. hire  them  to  show  off  their 


DESCRIPTION    OF    SANTA   FE.  409 

goods  to  pedlers,  who  make  this  place  their  rendezvous.  Indeed,  it 
is  this  trade  solely  that  gives  Santa  Fe  its  importance.  These  shops 
are  not  exactly  such  as  our  merchants  at  home  would  choose  to  show 
their  goods  in,  being  without  a  window.  The  only  light  that  the 
dirty  sales-room  receives,  is  through  the  door.  Fronting  the  go 
vernor's  palace,  on  the  plaza,  stands  an  old  church,  which  was 
robbed  of  all  its  plate  and  ornaments  some  time  before  we  arrived. 
It  is  allowed  to  go  to  ruin  in  consequence  of  this  desecration. 

ENERAL  KEARNY  occupied  the  governor's 
palace,  and  quarters  were  selected  for  the 
men,  and  a  hospital  arranged.  The  Mexi 
can  houses,  although  very  uncomfortable  look 
ing  from  the  outside,  are  generally  by  no 
means  so  within,  for,  being  well  whitewashed 
there,  they  look  clean,  and  are  at  all  times 
cool.  The  walls  are  built  of  large  bricks  of  mud,  called  adobes,  about 
two  feet  long  by  one  foot  wide,  and  four  inches  thick ;  and  the  mud, 
being  mixed  with  fine-cut  straw,  and  dried  in  the  sun,  holds  very 
well  together  if  carefully  handled.  These  are  built  up  with  mud  for 
mortar,  and  very  often  plastered  with  the  same  substance,  both 
inside  and  out,  but  as  the  tools  used  are  only  a  spade  and  wooden 
trowel,  the  walls  are  not  generally  very  smooth.  On  the  top  of  these 
walls  are  laid  young  trees,  for  rafters,  upon  which  are  again  laid 
small  sticks,  placed  close  together,  and  over  all  a  coat  of  mud  from 
six  to  eight  inches  in  thickness.  This  roof,  of  course,  is  quite  flat, 
but  the  walls  being  built  at  least  a  foot  higher  than  the  roof,  on  all 
sides,  with  holes  here  and  there  to  let  the  water  escape,  they  pre 
vent  the  earth  from  washing  off,  and  as  the  grass  soon  grows  upon 
this  roof,  it  becomes  impervious  to  the  water.  The  floor  is  nothing 
but  the  bare  earth,  trodden  down  hard,  and  I  can  say  from  experi 
ence,  that  it  makes  the  hardest  of  beds,  rock  not  even  excepted ! 
The  walls  and  ceiling  are  whitewashed  with  a  solution  of  bone-lime, 
made  quite  thick,  and  laid  on  by  means  of  a  buckskin.  The  houses 
are  often  whitewashed  both  externally  and  internally,  and  the  lime, 
being  of  a  brilliant  white,  renders  the  room  very  light,  although,  per 
haps,  the  only  opening  is  at  the  door,  or  a  little  grated  window  about 
a  foot  square,  no  window-glass  being  used.  The  houses  of  the 
poorer  classes  only  consist  of  one  room,  with  generally  a  partition 
wall  as  high  as  the  waist,  running  almost  across  it ;  and  around  the 
walls  are  built  broad  seats,  upon  which  the  blankets  that  compose 
the  beds  of  the  family  are  laid  during  the  day.  At  night  the  chil 
dren  use  these  benches  as  bedsteads,  while  the  rest  of  the  family, 
consisting  probably  of  three  generations,  sleep  promiscuously  upon 
2M  62 


410  KEARNY   ARRIVES   AT    TOMAE. 

the  floor,  in  filthy  sheep-skins  and  blankets.  The  better  sort  sleep  on 
sacks  of  feathers,  and  in  low  trundle  bedsteads,  hewn  with  an  axe 
from  the  rough  wood.  The  children,  from  four  years  old  downwards, 
go  entirely  naked ;  the  women  are  badly  clothed,  very  dirty,  ugly, 
and  immodest ;  and  the  men  are  the  meanest,  most  contemptible  set 
of  swarthy  thieves  and  liars  to  be  found  any  where.  The  rich  ones 
will  cheat  and  swindle,  and  the  poor  sneakingly  pilfer  any  thing."* 

N  the  2d  of  September,  Gene 
ral  Kearny,  having  appointed 
George  Bent  to  be  civil  go 
vernor     of     New     Mexico, 
started  on  a  reconnoissance  down  the 
Rio   Grande,  with    five  hundred  of 
Colonel    Doniphan's    regiment,    one 
hundred  and  fifty  artillery,  and  one 
hundred  regulars.     He  came  first  to 
the  village  of  San  Domingo,  which  is 
inhabited  by  the  Puebla  Indians,  and 

from  which  the  town  of  Santa  Fe  is  supplied  with  fruit.  The  In 
dians  favoured  the  party  with  a  military  reception,  displaying  great 
skill  in  their  evolutions,  and  much  pride  in  their  dresses  and  trap 
pings.  They  were  well  pleased  with  the  change  in  the  government, 
and  treated  General  Kearny  and  his  companions  with  hospitality.  At 
Albuquerque  they  found  the  residence  of  ex-governor  Armijo,  whose 
wife  still  remained  there.  The  priest's  house  was  remarked  as  one 
of  the  best  in  the  country,  the  priests  generally  being  the  wealthiest 
men  in  the  country. 

Valentia  was  found  to  be  a  large  and  handsome  town,  supported 
by  its  vineyards  and  fruit  trees.  The  better  class  of  the  population  was 
composed  of  Indians,  many  of  whom  came  to  the  camp  with  fruit, 
which  they  sold  to  the  penniless  soldiers,  taking  as  pay  the  metal 
buttons  from  the  military  coats,  rating  their  value  at  twelve  and  a 
half  cents  each.  General  Kearny  arrived  at  Tomae  on  the  eve  of  a 
religious  fete,  in  which  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  carried 
about  the  streets  in  a  procession,  General  Kearny  and  his  officers 
walking  in  it  with  lighted  candles  in  their  hands.  The  day  closed 
with  fireworks  and  fandangos. 

During  the  latter  part  of  September,  a  detachment  of  fifty  men 
marched  northward,  under  Captain  Fischer,  to  bring  in  some  of  the 
Apache  Indians,  who  had  been  committing  depredations  on  the 
Mexicans.  The  character  of  this  tribe  may  be  inferred  from  their 

*   Campaign  in  New  Mexico,  by  Frank  S.  Edwards. 


ERECTION   OF   FORT   MARCY. 


411 


Encampment  near  Valentia. 

treatment  of  Armijo.  Several  of  them  came  to  Santa  Fe  to  make  a 
treaty  with  him,  and  when  it  was  concluded  they  left  the  town,  stop 
ping  long  enough  in  the  outskirts  to  murder  several  herdsmen  and 
carry  off  a  large  quantity  of  cattle.  They  found  that  they  had  now 
to  deal  with  a  very  different  kind  of  men  from  the  Mexicans,  and 
they  changed  their  tactics  accordingly.  A  couple  of  Indians  could 
make  twenty  armed  Mexicans  fly  at  any  time,  and  they  were  equally 
pleased  and  alarmed  to  see  Captain  Fischer  marching,  with  fifty  men, 
to  subdue  them,  however  numerous  they  might  be.  Their  chiefs 
came  to  him,  and  accompanied  him  back  to  Santa  Fe,  where  they 
made  a  treaty  of  peace. 

A  fort  had  been  commenced  within  six  hundred  yards  of  the  town, 
which,  under  the  superintendence  of  Lieutenants  Emory,  Gilmer,  and 
Peck,  became  an  imposing  structure,  and  was  named,  in  honour  of 
the  secretary  of  war,  Fort  Marcy.  Arrangements  were  made  for 
the  civil  government  of  the  country ;  civil  officers  were  appointed, 
and  a  code  of  laws  promulgated,  for  which  General  Kearny  acknow 
ledges  his  indebtedness  to  Colonel  Doniphan,  who  was  assisted  in 
their  preparation  by  a  private  in  his  regiment,  the  Hon.  Willard  P. 
Hall. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  having  received  information  of  the  cer 
tain  approach  of  the  Missouri  regiment,  under  Colonel  Price,  and  the 
Mormons,  General  Kearny  departed  from  Santa  Fe  to  march  over 
a  thousand  miles  of  country,  much  of  which  was  a  desert,  to  Cali 
fornia.  He  had  made  the  following  distribution  of  his  forces.  The 
United  States  dragoons,  under  Major  Sumner,  Captain  Hudson's  com- 


412 


DISTRIBUTION    OF   FORCES. 


Major  Sumner. 

pany,  and  the  Mormon  battalion,  were  to  accompany  him  to  Cali 
fornia.  Major  Clark's  St.  Louis  artillery  companies,  and  the  two 
companies  of  infantry  under  Captains  Angney  and  Murphy,  were  to 
remain  at  Santa  Fe.  Colonel  Doniphan's  regiment  was  to  take  post 
at  Tomae,  a  station  forty  miles  south  of  Albuquerque,  until  the  arrival 
of  Colonel  Price,  when  they  were  to  be  relieved  at  Tomae  by  two 
companies  of  Price's  regiment,  and  Colonel  Doniphan  was  to  march 
to  Chihuahua  and  report  to  General  Wool,  who  was  supposed  to  be 
by  this  time  in  possession  of  that  city. 

Soon  after  leaving  Santa  Fe,  General  Kearny  met  an  express  bring 
ing  to  Washington  an  account  of  the  exploits  of  Colonel  Fremont  in 
California,  which  induced  the  general  to  send  back  nearly  half  of 
his  men,  some  of  whom  were  kept  at  Albuquerque,  and  the  remainder 
sent  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  While  General  Kearny  was  marching 
forward  towards  California,  the  little  army  left  in  possession  of  Santa 
Fe  were  not  unoccupied.  The  drill  and  parade  filled  up  the  long 
intervals  of  inaction ;  and  the  soldiers  were  not  without  amusement. 


OPERATIONS   OF   DONIPHAN. 


413 


HE  army  had  its  theatre.  In  No 
vember  a  dramatic  society  was 
started  by  some  of  the  officers 
of  Major  Clark's  battalion  at 
Santa  Fe.  Governor  Bent  sup 
plied  them  with  a  fandango 
room ;  machinery,  scenery,  and 
a  wardrobe,  were  manufactured 
with  Yankee  ingenuity,  and  the 
performances  commenced  with 
Pizarro  and  Bombastes  Furioso. 
Some  of  the  boyish  heroes  enact 
ed  the  female  characters  quite 
naturally ;  and,  though  the  Mex 
ican  women  smoked  during  the 
whole  play,  and  always  laughed 
when  they  should  have  cried, 
the  audiences  were  large  and 
fashionable. 

Towards  the  end  of  November,  Colonel  D.  D.  Mitchell  was 
despatched  by  Colonel  Price  from  Santa  Fe,  with  ninety-five  picked 
men,  to  co-operate  with  Colonel  Doniphan  in  opening  a  communica 
tion  with  Chihuahua  and  General  Wool.  This  body  found  Colonel 
Doniphan  at  Valverde,  with  only  eighty  men  under  his  command. 
The  whole  of  his  force  had  been  engaged,  in  separate  divisions,  in  a 
campaign  against  the  Navajos  Indians;  and,  though  acting  in  the 
middle  of  winter,  without  any  of  the  necessaries  of  a  winter  cam 
paign,  he  was  entirely  successful. 

One  of  his  battalions  was  in  advance,  under  Major  Gilpin,  and 
the  colonel  himself  determined  to  advance  with  Mitchell's  escort, 
and  allow  his  scattered  command  to  overtake  him  on  the  road.  He 
marched  along  the  Rio  Grande  to  Fray  Christobal,  where  he  halted 
one  day,  to  collect  all  his  force,  and  cook  two  days'  provisions  pre 
paratory  to  crossing  the  desert  of  La  Jornada  del  Muerto,  the  Day's 
Journey  of  Death.  This  was  a  long,  dry  extent  of  road,  about  sixty 
miles  in  length,  by  Colonel  Doniphan 's  track,  which  had  obtained  its 
name  from  the  circumstance  of  a  Mexican  having  attempted  to  cross 
it  in  a  day,  without  food  or  water,  and  perished  in  consequence. 
The  Mexicans  used  the  term  Jornada  in  estimating  distances ;  thus, 
when  a  route  was  said  to  be  so  many  jornadas  in  length,  it  was  meant 
that  to  encamp  at  water  each  night,  it  would  take  so  many  days  to 
march  over  it.  The  soldiers,  however,  never  took  the  pains  to  observe 
the  meaning  of  the  term,  and  in  all  the  accounts  given  of  this  famous 
2M2 


414 


DONIPHAN'S  MARCH. 


Encampment  at  Fray  Christobal. 


expedition  by  the  volunteers,  we  find  the  term  always  applied  to  a 
long  dry  extent  of  road  without  water.  The  army  marched  on  until 
midnight  of  the  first  day,  and  resumed  the  road  at  daybreak  in  the 
morning.  They  noticed  with  surprise,  that  though  there  was  little 
rain  and  no  water,  the  grass  here  was  finer  and  better  than  they  had 
ever  seen  elsewhere.  Here,  too,  they  first  met  with  a  species  of 
palm,  the  root  of  which  the  Mexicans  used  as  a  substitute  for  soap, 
whence  the  soldiers  called  it  soap-weed.  This  is  an  exceedingly 
useful  plant  to  the  people,  who  use  its  leaves  for  the  manufacture  of 
hats,  ropes,  and  sacks,  it  being,  when  dressed,  not  unlike  the  coarser 
qualities  of  manilla  hemp.  The  leaves  are  two  feet  and  a  half  in 
length,  armed  at  the  end  with  a  long  thorn,  and  of  a  dark  green 
colour.  They  fall  to  the  ground  as  the  foliage  decays,  and  burn 
rapidly,  a  circumstance  which  gave  much  comfort  to  the  soldiers 
during  the  cold  nights  spent  on  the  march.  The  trunk  of  the  tree 
does  not  grow  more  than  six  feet  high,  and  is  surmounted  at  the  end 
by  a  head  of  stiff  leaves.  The  soap-weeds  had  one  quality  which 
proved  exceedingly  provoking  to  the  volunteers.  They  assumed  in 
the  twilight  the  most  deceptive  forms,  causing  the  sentinel  to  chal 
lenge  them  as  men,  with  the  cry  of  "who  goes  there,"  and  leading 
the  poor  fellows  on  a  hunt  for  an  hour  in  the  gray  of  the  morning,  by 
assuming,  at  a  little  distance,  the  exact  form  of  his  missing  horse  or 
mule. 

The  army,  on  the  second  night,  overtook  a  large  party  of  traders, 
with  three  hundred  conestoga  wagons  laden  with  goods.  They  were 
expecting  an  attack  from  a  Mexican  robber  priest,  Ortiz,  and  were 


DONIPHANS    CAMP   SURPRISED 


415 


The  Trader*. 


in  much  alarm,  which  Colonel  Doniphan's  arrival  ended.  The  bat 
talion  of  Major  Gilpin  was  found  near  the  town  of  Dona  Ana,  having 
reached  there  by  a  slightly  different  road.  He  gave  his  opinion  that 
the  army  would  have  some  difficulty  in  entering  the  town  of  El  Paso, 
but  the  soldiers  thought  the  news  too  good  to  be  true,  and  charged 
him  with  being  too  sanguine.  The  army  moved  on  towards  the  town. 
On  the  night  of  the  24th  of  December,  the  army  had  a  repast  from  a 
number  of  sheep,  which,  though  healthy  and  well  grown,  weighed 
seventeen  pounds  on  an  average.  The  spirits  of  the  volunteers  were 
at  all  times  exuberant,  and  gave  them  great  support  under  the  diffi 
culties  of  their  undertaking.  On  this  occasion,  one  mess  put  a 
lighted  candle  into  the  carcass  of  their  sheep  before  cooking  it,  and 
proved  that  it  made  a  capital  lantern.  They  complained  of  their 
quartermaster  for  not  having  reserved  such  fine  mutton  to  help  out 
their  dinner  on  the  morrow,  Christmas  day. 

The  march  was  resumed  on  Christmas  day,  and  pursued  for  some 
time,  when  the  army  encamped  on  the  road.  The  troops  all  dispersed, 
having  unsaddled  their  animals,  to  carry  wood  and  water  into  camp, 
when  an  immense  cloud  of  dust  was  observed  at  a  distance  by 
several  from  different  points,  and  they  began  to  hurry  into  the  camp 
to  prepare  for  an  emergency.  They  were  almost  too  late.  The 
enemy  had  taken  the  camp  by  surprise.  There  were  not  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men  there  when  they  came  up,  and  the  rear  guard 
was  six  miles  behind,  with  the  wagon  train  spread  along  the 
road.  This  was  in  charge  of  Quartermaster-Sergeant  Edwards, 
who  hastened  them  up,  and  began  to  corraal  them.  The  wagons 
containing  the  ammunition  of  Colonel  Doniphan's  regiment  were 
behind,  but  fortunately,  one  of  those  brought  by  Colonel  Mitchell, 


416 


DONIPHANS   CAMP   SURPRISED. 


from  Santa  Fe,  was  in  front,  and  Mr.  Edwards  began  to  get 
out  its  contents,  the  wagons  putting  themselves  into  form  as  they 
came  up.  The  rapid  advance  of  the  enemy  allowed  no  time  for  sad 
dling  horses,  so  the  troops  drew  up  across  the  road  on  foot,  in  a  single 
line,  determined  to  gain  a  victory  as  infantry.  The  enemy  drew  up 
at  the  top  of  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground,  in  good  order,  with  their 
cavalry  on  the  right,  and  a  small  howitzer  in  the  centre.  Their  left 
Hank  and  body  was  composed  of  infantry.  They  made  a  gay  ap 
pearance,  particularly  the  cavalry.  These  were  clad  in  bright  scar 


BATTLE    OF    BRACITO.  417 

let  coats,  with  bell  buttons  and  white  belts,  carrying  sabres  and 
carbines,  and  long  lances,  with  red  and  green  pennons.  Their 
polished  arms  gave  them  quite  a  shining  appearance,  to  which  their 
brass  helmets,  with  large  black  plumes,  added  not  a  little.  Their 
whole  force  formed  quite  a  contrast  to  the  "rough,  ready,  and  ragged'7 
group  opposed  to  them. 

When  the  Mexicans  halted,  a  lieutenant  came  forward  from  their 
ranks,  waving  a  black  flag,  with  a  skull  and  cross-bones  worked 
upon  it.  The  American  interpreter,  Thomas  Caldwell,  advanced  to 
meet  him.  The  lieutentant  demanded  that  the  American  commander 
should  come  into  his  camp  and  have  a  parley.  Mr.  Caldwell  replied, 
"If  your  general  wants  to  see  our  commander  let  him  come  here." 
"  We  shall  break  your  ranks,  then,  and  take  him  there,"  was  the 
retort  of  the  Mexican.  "Come  and  take  him,"  said  Mr.  Caldwell; 
and  the  Mexican  officer  rode  back,  exclaiming,  "  a  curse  on  'you. 
Prepare  for  a  charge.  We  give  no  quarter,  and  ask  none." 

When  he  reached  his  lines,  they  opened  their  fire,  advancing 
steadily.  The  charge  was  so  handsomely  made  as  to  win  the  admi- 
ration  of  the  volunteers,  who  looked  on  at  their  approach,  and  while 
they  fired  two  volleys.  The  shot  from  their  guns  passed  over  the 
heads  of  the  troops,  but  seriously  incommoded  Mr.  Edwards's  party 
at  the  wagons  in  the  rear.  They  poured  in  their  third  fire  at  close 
pistol-shot,  and  wounded  several  of  the  Americans,  who,  as  the 
smoke  of  the  discharge  lifted  sufficiently  to  make  a  sure  aim,  poured 
in  two  volleys  from  their  rifles.  At  this  moment,  the  Mexican  dra 
goons  were  charging  on  the  left  of  the  line,  but  the  heavy  shower  of 
balls  turned  them,  and  they  wheeled,  turned  the  flank  and  came 
down  upon  the  wagon  train.  Mr.  Edwards  had  about  fifteen  men 
under  his  command  here,  and  seeing  the  enemy  advancing,  he  or 
dered  the  party  to  shelter  themselves  behind  the  wagons,  until  the 
red  coats  were  within  ten  yards,  when  each  stepped  out  and  gave 
them  the  contents  of  his  piece.  They  fell  back  over  a  rising  piece 
of  ground,  hotly  pursued  by  fifteen  mounted  Americans. 

Just  at  the  time  of  delivering  the  second  volley,  a  part  of  the 
Howard,  company  headed  by  Lieutenant  Wright,  took  it  into  their  heads 
to  break  the  line,  ran  up. to  the  Mexican  cannon  in  front  of  them,  and 
forcibly  secured  and  dragged  it  into  their  own  ranks.  This  act,  daring 
and  desperate,  added  to  the  perplexity  of  the  Mexicans,  who  said 
they  could  not  understand  such  a  people.  When  their  first  fire  had 
been  given  they  saw  the  right  wing  of  the  Americans  kneel  down  on 
the  ground,  and  supposed  them  to  have  been  swept  away  by  their 
shot,  and  it  was  an  incomprehensible  mystery  to  them  to  find  them 
sustain  three  volleys  without  returning  one,  and,  when  they  were  all 

53 


418 


BATTLE    OF   BRACITO. 


Battle  of  Bracito. 

shot  down,  to  see  fresh  enemies  jump  up  out  of  the  grass.  It  was 
difficult  to  get  more  than  two  shots  at  them,  though  a  few  of  the  most 
fortunate  had  five  or  six.  The  Mexicans  lost  about  two  hundred  men 
in  killed  and  wounded,  and  left  their  arms,  provisions,  and  stores,  on 
the  field  of  battle.  They  numbered  about  twelve  hundred  in  all. 
Colonel  Doniphan  had  but  five  hundred  with  him,  and  these  were 
not  all  engaged.  He  had  seven  men  wounded,  but  none  killed. 
The  Mexican  women  were  gloriously  represented  in  this  fight.  Two 
of  them  were  engaged  in  the  battle,  serving  at  the  cannon.  One  of 
them  unfortunately  was  shot  in  the  forehead,  and  the  other,  finding 
the  battle  lost,  bravely  bore  her  dying  companion  off  the  field. 

The  dragoons,  who  had  behaved  so  gallantly,  met  with  a  sad  fate. 
The  little  squadron  of  American  horse  chased  them  into  the  moun 
tains,  where  a  hostile  band  of  Navajos  Indians,  who  had  been  watch 
ing  the  struggle  in  their  concealment,  set  on  them,  and  slew  almost 
the  whole  of  them  for  the  sake  of  their  bright  uniforms  and  arms. 
Such  was  the  first  battle  fought  by  the  "  Army  of  the  West,"  called 
the  battle  of  Bracito,  from  the  bend  of  the  river  near  which  it  was 
fought,  which  bears  this  name. 

It  is  remarkable  on  many  accounts,  besides  that  of  being  the 
earliest  in  the  campaign.  It  was  fought  under  every  disadvantage  for 
o»r  countrymen.  The  surprise,  the  freshness  of  the  troops,  the  scattered 
state  of  the  force,  the  exposure  of  the  train,  were  all  against  them. 


REINFORCEMENT   FOR    DONIPIIAN. 


419 


L  PASO,  near  which  the  bat 
tle  of  Bracito  was  fought,  is 
a  town  of  some  three  thou 
sand  inhabitants,  on  the 
high  road  from  New  Mexico 
to  Chihuahua.  No  attempt 
was  made  to  defend  it  by 
the  dispirited  Mexicans, 
and  Colonel  Doniphan  en 
tered  it  on  the  27th  of  De 
cember.  He  determined  to 
wait  here  for  the  arrival  of 
a  reinforcement  from  Santa 
Fe.  He  had  sent  an  express 
thither  some  time  previously 
to  Major  Clarke,  requesting 
that  officer  to  come  and  join  him,  if  possible,  and  at  all  events  to 
send  him  Captain  Weightman,  with  the  battery,  and  thirty  or  forty 
men.  Captain  Weightman  immediately  started  with  six  pieces  of 
artillery,  forty-five  Laclede  rangers,  and  sixty-five  men  of  his  own 
country,  and  made  a  forced  march  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
in  the  dead  of  winter,  with  an  endurance  and  perseverance  almost 
unequalled  in  history.  He  was  passed  on  the  road  by  Major  Clark, 
who  hurried  on  to  El  Paso,  and  found  that  the  Americans  were  ex 
pecting  a  night  attack  from  the  enemy  [January  25.]  He  imme 
diately  sent  back  an  express  with  twenty-eight  fresh  mules  and  infor 
mation  of  the  expected  battle.  Captain  Weightman  met  the  express, 
just  as  he  was  emerging  from  the  fatiguing  march  over  the  Jornada 
del  Muerto.  He  pushed  forward  twenty- two  miles  to  Dona  Ana, 
and  there  informed  his  command  of  the  prospect  of  a  fight,  and  of 
his  intention  to  leave  there  all  his  baggage,  and  march  at  once  with 
arms,  ammunition,  and  as  much  food  as  they  could  carry  ready 
cooked.  He  started  at  midnight  on  the  30th  of  January,  and  moved 
with  such  celerity  as  to  reach  El  Paso  at  one  o'clock  in  the  next 
night,  making  a  distance  of  sixty-one  miles  in  one  day,  although  the 
weather  was  so  cold  that  they  had  to  make  fires  every  four  or  fivt 
miles,  at  which  the  men  would  stop  a  few  at  a  time,rto  warm  them 
selves,  and  then  hurry  onward  after  the  battery.  Their  sufferings 
on  the  march  were  not  more  remarkable  than  their  chivalric  devo 
tion.  Between  Santa  Fe  and  El  Paso,  they  were  obliged  to  ford  the 
Rio  Grande  three  times.  On  one  occasion,  the  river  was  frozen  over 
except  in  the  middle,  where  masses  of  floating  ice  were  whirlei 
along  by  the  current.  The  guns,  caissons,  and  baggage  were  in 


420  CAPTURE    OF    ORTIZ. 

danger  of  being  lost  by  the  ice  and  by  quicksands.  To  save  the 
artillery  it  became  necessary  to  order  a  large  detachment  into  the 
deep  and  chilling  waters,  and  the  orderlies  produced  their  books  and 
were  about  to  name  the  men  who  should  perform  this  duty,  when  a 
general  shout  burst  forth  from  the  gallant  hearted  men,  and  they 
rushed  in  a  mass  to  perform  the  perilous  duty,  with  the  cry,  "  we 
are  volunteers."* 

The  applause  of  their  comrades  and  Colonel  Doniphan  was  libe 
rally  bestowed,  and,  with  the  approval  of  their  own  consciences,  must 
have  compensated  them  for  their  disappointment,  when  they  dis 
covered  that  they  had  been  the  victims  of  a  false  alarm. 

UMOURS  were  brought  while  the  troops 
were  at  El  Paso,  of  preparations  for  resist 
ance  at  Carrizal,  a  fortified  place  between 
them  and  Chihuahua.  They  learned  that 
regular  messengers  were  sent  from  El  Paso 
to  that  place,  and  suspecting  a  priest 
named  Ortiz,  they  laid  a  trap  for  him, 
which  partially  failed  through  the  impa 
tience  of  the  officer  in  charge.  He  found 
a  horse  at  the  priest's  house  ready  saddled 
<  —  and  bridled,  and,  instead  of  waiting  until 
his  rider  should  have  started,  and  then  seized  him,  to  ascertain  what 
he  carried,  the  officer  surrounded  the  house,  and  politely  knocked 
at  the  door.  The  priest  and  two  gentlemen  were  brought  to  the 
colonel's  quarters^  and  Ortiz  was  upbraided  with  treachery.  He  re 
marked  that  he  did  not  consider  the  delivery  of  his  country  from  a 
foreign  enemy,  by  any  means  whatever,  treachery.  He  proclaimed 
his  enmity  to  Americans,  but  announced  that  his  efforts  to  free  the 
country  of  them  would  be  open  ones,  and  that  he  would  not  attempt 
to  incite  an  insurrection  because  he  knew  it  would  be  worse  than 
useless. 

Colonel  Doniphan  admired  his  sentiments,  but  informed  him  that 
he  would  take  care  to  prevent  him  from  carrying  them  into  effect,  by 
keeping  a  strict  watch  over  him.  Ortiz  had  been  at  Bracito,  and  the 
colonel  pithily  concluded  his  address  by  remarking,  that  as  he  had 
seen  how  his  countrymen  had  fought  on  ground  of  their  own  select 
ing,  he  would  take  him  along  southward,  that  he  might  have  an  op 
portunity  of  comparing  it  with  their  deeds  when  fighting  was  to  be 
done  on  ground  of  the  colonel's  choosing.  The  holy  father  accord 
ingly  accompanied  the  expedition  to  Chihuahua. f 

*  Conquest  of  California  and  New  Mexico,  by  J.  M.  Cutts,  Esq. 
•f  Edwards's  Campaign. 


BENTONS    SPEECH. 


421 


HE  arrival  of  Major 
Clark  and  Captain 
Weightman  with  their 
followers,  increased 
the  number  of  the 
command  to  a  thou 
sand  men,  whose  ap 
pearance  on  parade 
was  most  ludicrous, 
shoes  being  a  luxury, 
hats  well  ventilated, 
no  two  pair  of  panta 
loons  alike,  and  the 
only  whole  ones  being 
those  of  buckskin, 
which  a  few  lucky 
soldiers  had  obtained 
in  the  campaign 
against  the  Navajos  Indians.  Few  owned  a  jacket,  and  the  shirts 
were  frequently  sadly  out  of  repair.  On  the  llth  of  February,  how 
ever,  the  army  set  out  on  the  road  for  Chihuahua.  After  marching  a 
hundred  and  forty-five  miles,  a  mail  from  Santa  Fe  was  received,  and 
they  learned  that  General  Wool  had  changed  his  route,  and  was  not 
at  Chihuahua,  but  Colonel  Doniphan  received  no  despatches,  and  he 
called  a  council  of  war  to  decide  upon  their  further  movements.  It 
was  decided  to  proceed.  In  allusion  to  this  determination,  Colonel 
Benton  made  the  following  remarks,  in  his  speech  to  the  returning 
volunteers. 

"  I  have  said  that  you  made  your  long  expedition  without  govern 
ment  orders,  and  so,  indeed,  you  did.  You  received  no  orders  from 
your  government,  but  without  knowing  it,  you  were  fulfilling  its 
orders — orders  which  never  reached  you.  Happy  the  soldier  who 
executes  the  command  of  his  government ;  happier  still  he  who  an 
ticipates  command,  and  does  what  is  wanted  before  he  is  bid.  This 
is  your  case.  You  did  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time,  and  what  the 
government  intended  you  to  do,  and  without  knowing  its  intention. 
The  facts  are  these :  Early  in  the  month  of  November  last,  the  presi 
dent  asked  my  opinion  on  the  manner  of  conducting  the  war.  I  sub 
mitted  a  plan  to  him,  which,  in  addition  to  other  things,  required  all 
the  disposable  troops  in  New  Mexico,  and  all  Ihe  Americans  in  that 
quarter  who  could  be  engaged  for  a  dashing  expedition,  to  move 
down  through  Chihuahua  and  the  state  of  Durango,  and,  if  necessary, 
to  Zacatecas,  and  get  into  communication  with  General  Taylor's  right 
2N 


422 


BENTONS    SPEECH. 


Colonel  Benton. 

as  early  as  possible  in  the  month  of  March.  In  fact,  the  disposable 
Missourians  in  New  Mexico,  were  to  be  one  of  three  columns  destined 
for  a  combined  movement  on  the  city  of  Mexico,  all  to  be  on  the 
table-land,  and  ready  for  movement  in  the  month  of  March.  The 
president  approved  the  plan,  and  the  Missourians  being  most  distant, 
orders  were  despatched  to  New  Mexico,  to  put  them  in  motion.  Mr. 
Solomon  Sublette  carried  the  order,  and  delivered  it  to  the  command 
ing  officer  at  Santa  Fe,  Colonel  Price,  on  the  23d  day  of  February — 
just  five  days  before  you  fought  the  marvellous  battle  of  Sacramento. 
"  I  well  remember  what  passed  between  the  president  and  myself, 
at  the  time  he  resolved  to  give  this  order.  It  awakened  his  solici 
tude  for  your  safety.  It  was  to  send  a  small  body  of  men  a  great 
distance  into  the  heart  of  a  hostile  country,  and  upon  the  contingency 
of  uniting  in  a  combined  movement,  the  means  for  which  had  not  yet 
been  obtained  from  Congress.  The  president  made  it  a  question, 
and  very  properly,  whether  it  was  safe  or  prudent  to  start  the  small 
Missouri  column  before  the  movement  of  the  left  and  of  the  centre 
was  assured.  I  answered,  that  my  own  rule  in  public  affairs  was  to 
do  what  I  thought  was  right,  and  leave  it  to  others  to  do  what  they 
thought  was  right ;  and  that  I  believed  it  the  proper  course  for  him 
to  follow  on  the  present  occasion.  On  this  view  he  acted  He  gave 


ROUT   OF    MEXICAN   ADVANCE    GUARD.  423 

the  order  to  go,  without  waiting  to  see  whether  Congress  would  fur 
nish  the  means  of  executing  the  combined  plan ;  and,  for  his  conso 
lation,  I  undertook  to  guarantee  your  safety.  Let  the  worst  come  to 
the  worst,  I  promised  him  that  you  would  take  care  of  yourselves. 
Though  the  other  parts  of  the  plan  should  fail — though  you  should 
become  far  involved  in  the  advance,  and  deeply  compromised  in  the 
enemy's  country,  and  without  support — still  I  relied  on  your  courage, 
skill,  and  enterprise  to  extricate  yourselves  from  every  danger — to 
make  daylight  through  all  the  Mexicans  that  should  stand  before  you — 
cut  your  way  out — and  make  good  your  retreat  to  Taylor's  camp." 
HE  road  they  traversed  for  the  ensuing  ten  days 
wras  more  dreary  and  desolate  than  any  they  had 
hitherto  marched  over,  excepting  the  Jornada 
del  Muerto.  Scarcely  had  they  succeeded  in 
getting  the  trains  through  one  of  the  long  dry 
tracts  of  country  when  another  was  entered. 
Fire  on  the  grass  behind  them,  twice  made  them 
harness  up  and  run  for  their  lives,  after  the  close 
of  a  fatiguing  march.  The  artillery  was  only 
saved  by  being  plunged  into  a  shallow  salt  lake, 
while  the  men  formed  a  line  across  the  country,  at  an  advantageous 
point,  and  checked  the  fire  by  beating  it  out  with  the  branches  of 
trees  in  their  hands.  They  met  no  resistance  at  Carrizal,  but  every 
thing  indicated  that  the  enemy  would  be  met  in  force  in  a  short  time, 
and  the  feverish  state  of  alarm  added  to  their  difficulties.  Once  or 
twice  they  were  obliged  to  prepare  suddenly  for  action  on  false 
alarms,  and  the  terrible  marches  over  the  Jornada  were  made  still 
more  discouraging,  by  the  rumours  that  they  would  be  attacked  at 
its  extremity,  when  they  and  their  animals  should  be  exhausted  by 
thirst. 

On  the  27th  day  of  February,  it  became  conclusive  that  a  battle 
arould  be  fought  on  the  following  day.  Two  traders  had  chased  a 
Mexican  so  hard  as  to  force  him  to  dismount  and  seek  safety  on  foot. 
An  elegantly  caparisoned  horse,  which  he  had  ridden,  was  brought 
into  camp.  The  American  picket-guard,  going  out  after  dark  to 
take  up  their  position,  had  met  the  advance  guard  of  the  foe,  and 
though  only  half  as  numerous,  they  drove  them  back.  At  sunrise 
on  the  28th  of  February,  the  army  took  up  the  line  of  march,  and 
formed  the  whole  train,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and  fifteen  heavy 
traders'  wagons,  and  our  commissary  and  company  wagons,  into 
four  columns,  thus  shortening  the  length  of  the  line,  and  making  it 
more  easily  protected.  The  artillery  and  all  the  troops,  except  two 
hundred  cavalry  proper,  were  placed  in  the  intervals  between  the 


424 


MEXICAN    POSITION. 


columns  of  wagons,  thus  concealing  the  force  and  its  position,  by 
masking  it  with  the  cavalry.  When  within  three  miles,  the  position 
of  the  enemy  was  ascertained  by  a  reconnoissance. 

HE  able  and  gallant  Major  Clark,  who 
made  the  examination  of  the  enemy's 
position,  reported  "that  his  intrench- 
ments  and  redoubts  occupied  the 
brow  of  an  elevation  extending  across 
the  ridge  between  the  Arroyo  Seco 
and  that  of  Sacramento — both  of 
which  at  this  point  cross  the  valley 
from  the  elevated  ridge  of  mountains 
in  the  rear  of  the  village  of  Torreon, 
known  by  the  name  of  Sierra  de  Vic- 
toriano,  that  of  Nombre  de  Dios  on  the  east,  and  through  which  runs 
the  Rio  del  Nombre  de  Dios.  This  valley  is  about  four  miles  in 
width,  and  intrenched  by  the  enemy  entirely  across,  from  mountain 
to  mountain,  the  road  to  the  city  of  Chihuahua  running  directly 
through  its  centre,  and  of  necessity,  passing  near  to  and  crossing 
the  Rio  Sacramento,  at  the  Rancho  Sacramento,  a  strongly  built  and 
fortified  house,  with  adjoining  corraals,  and  other  inclosures,  belong 
ing  to  Angel  Trias,  the  governor  of  Chihuahua.  From  observation, 
it  was  ascertained  that  the  enemy  had  occupied  the  site  between  these 
hills,  and  that  the  batteries  upon  them  were  supported  by  infantry — 
his  cavalry  being  in  advanced  positions  formed  into  three  columns 
between  the  Arroyo  Seco  and  our  advance.  During  these  observa 
tions,  the  enemy's  advance  guard  discovering  my  party,  approached 
rapidly,  with  the  evident  intention  of  intercepting  it,  but  being  met 
by  that  of  our  troops,  which  I  had  sent  forward,  it  as  rapidly  retreated. 
At  this  time  also,  the  three  columns  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  recrossed 
the  Arroyo  Seco,  and  retired  behind  their  intrenchments.  I  then 
approached  within  six  hundred  yards  of  the  most  advanced  redoubt, 
from  which  point  the  enemy's  formation  was  plainly  discernible. 
The  intrenchments  consisted  of  a  line  with  intervals  composed  of 
circular  redoubts,  from  three  to  five  hundred  yards  interval,  with  in-  • 
trenchments  between  each,  covering  batteries  partly  masked  oy 
Cxivalry.  The  redoubt  nearest  to  my  position  contained  two  pieces 
of  cannon,  supported  by  several  hundred  infantry. 

"  The   enemy's  right  and  left  were    strong  positions ;    the  Cerro 
Frijoles  on  his  right,  and  having  high  precipitous  sides,  with  a  re 
doubt  commanding  the  surrounding  country,  and  the  pass  leading . 
towards  Chihuahua,  through  the  Arroyo   Seco.     The  Cerro  Sacra 
mento  on  his  left,  consisting  of  a  pile  of  immense  volcanic  rocks 


BATTLE    OF   SACRAMENTO. 


425 


surmounted  by  a  battery,  commanded  the  main  road  to  Chihuahua, 
leading  directly  in  front  of  the  enemy's  intrenchments  ;  crossing  the 
Rio  Sacramento  at  the  rancho,  directly  under  its  fire,  and  also  com 
manding  the  road  from  Torreon,  immediately  in  its  rear  ;  the  cross 
ing  of  the  main  road  over  the  Arroyo  Seco,  at  the  point  from  which 
my  reconnoissance  was  made,  laid  directly  under  the  fire  of  the  bat 
teries  on  the  enemy's  right,  which  rendered  it  necessary  to  ascertain 
the  practicability  of  a  route  more  distant  from  the  enemy's  intrench 
ments.  The  passage  was  found  to  be  practicable,  with  some  little 
labour  ;  and  a  point  selected  as  the  best  for  the  passage  of  the  artil 
lery  and  wagons,  and  merchants'  trains." 


only  chance  of 
fighting  them  on 
at  all  even  ground, 
consisted  in  get 
ting  possession  of 
the  table-land  be 
tween  the  Seco  and 
Sacramento.  Ma 
jor  Clark  advanced 
to  within  fifteen 
hundred  yards  of 
the  enemy's  most 
advanced  position, 
then  suddenly  di 
verged  to  the  right, 
crossed  the  Arroyo 

Seco  without  reach  of  the  enemy's  fire,  and  rapidly  advanced  to  the 
table-land.  The  Americans  displayed  the  utmost  enthusiasm.  The 
dense  mass  of  the  enemy,  and  his  almost  impregnable  position,  only 
made  them  the  more  eager  for  the  conflict,  and  their  conversation 
and  bearing  were  such  as  might  have  been  expected  from  men  going 
to  a  fandango  rather  than  into  such  an  unequal  fight.  But  they 
fought  under  the  invincible  banner  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  their 
assurance  of  victory  was  rendered  doubly  sure  by  a  joyful  omen. 

It  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  perilous  attempts  made  in  the 
whole  course  of  the  war,  this  mere  handful  of  men  deliberately  ad 
vancing  to  storm  the  intrenched  position  of  a  force  so  greatly  supe 
rior,  a  force,  too,  which  was  moved  to  the  encounter  by  every 
motive  which  ordinarily  stimulates  men  to  do  and  dare  on  the  field 
of  battle.  The  Mexicans  were  about  to  fight  for  their  altars  and 
their  homes,  almost  in  the  presence  of  their  wives  and  children.  The 
Americans  were  to  do  battle  for  the  honour  of  their  flag. 
2N2  54 


426 


BATTLE    OF    SACRAMENTO. 


S  they  gained  the  table-land  an  Amen 
can  eagle  was  seen  sailing  slowly  and 
majestically  over  their  heads.  The 
whole  army  paused  for  a  moment  or 
two  to  gaze  at  him,  and  then  turned 
again  towards  the  foe.  He  had  ad 
vanced  from  his  intrenchments  to  pre 
vent  the  Americans  from  seizing  upon 
the  heights,  but  he  miscalculated  the 
time  of  their  movements,  and  they 
had  succeeded  in  forming  before  his  cavalry  reached  their  posi 
tion.  The  battery  occupied  the  centre ;  on  the  right  and  left  of  it 
were  two  companies  of  cavalry,  one  of  them  Colonel  Mitchell's 
escort;  and  behind,  dismounted  and  acting  as  infantry,  stood  the 
rest  of  the  forces.  The  enemy's  artillery  opened  upon  them  as  they 
were  forming.  When  their  cavalry  had  advanced  within  nine  hun 
dred  yards  of  the  American  line,  Captain  Weightman  opened  a  ter 
rible  fire  upon  them,  working  his  pieces  with  great  rapidity,  and 
mowing  lanes  through  their  solid  columns.  Major  Clark  and  his 
officers  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  battery.  Farther  to  the  right, 
Colonel  Doniphan  was  sitting  on  his  charger,  whittling  a  piece  of 
wood,  one  leg  crossed  over  the  saddle,  and  his  eye  dancing  with  joy 
at  the  spirit  of  his  little  band.  And  thus  they  remained  for  half  an 
hour,  dodging  the  cannon  balls  which  they  could  see  coming,  white 
the  smaller  balls  fell  among  them,  a  copper  hail,  almost  disregarded. 
Lieutenant  Dorn  had  his  horse's  head  carried  away,  and  a  German 
volunteer  rolled  off  his  horse,  exclaiming  that  he  was  killed.  He  had 
received  a  wound  in  the  leg,  but  on  examining  its  extent,  he  coolly 
tied  it  up  tightly  with  his  handkerchief,  and  was  helped  into  the 
saddle  again.  As  yet  no  serious  damage  was  done  to  the  men, 
though  several  animals  were  slain  or  disabled.  The  fire  of  Captain 
Weightman's  pieces,  however,  had  been  more  effective.  One  of  the 
enemy's  guns  had  been  dismounted,  and  his  cavalry  dispersed,  and 
he  was  forced  to  retire  again  behind  his  intrenchments. 

The  firing  now  ceased  for  a  time,  the  enemy  removing  his  cannon 
and  wounded,  while  the  Americans  changed  their  position  to  more 
advantageous  ground.  This  being  done,  the  gallant  colonel  yielded 
to  the  solicitations  of  his  men,  and  a  charge  was  ordered.  Colonel 
Mitchell,  mounted  on  his  white  charger,  waved  them  on  with  his 
sabre ;  Captain  Read  followed,  with  his  company ;  Major  Owens,  a 
trader,  spurred  into  the  foremost  rank,  and  Captain  Weightman  thun 
dered  after  them  with  his  howitzers,  in  full  gallop.  Colonel  Doni 
phan  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  as  they  started,  and  groaned 


BATTLE    OF    SACRAMENTO. 


427 


Battle  of  Sacramento. 

out,  "  My  God  !  they're  gone !  the  boys  will  all  be  killed  !"  Then 
recovering  himself,  he  struck  his  spurs  into  his  horse,  and  dashed 
after  them.  Captain  Weightman  unlimbered  within  fifty  yards  of 
the  enemy's  intrenchments,  and  poured  a  destructive  fire  of  canister 
into  his  ranks,  then  passed  through  it  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  and 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  ditches,  then  threw  his  fire  to  the  right  and 
left,  raking  the  whole  line  of  the  enemy's  position.  Just  at  the  most 
critical  moment,  a  tipsy  officer,  whose  potations  had  not  added  to 
his  valour,  stuttered  out  a  command  to  halt,  and  a  momentary  inde 
cision  was  produced,  but  one  of  the  sutlers,  a  gallant  fellow,  named 
Pomeroy,  exclaimed,  "  for  God's  sake,  advance  !"  and  the  line  dashed 
forward  again.  The  men  who  had  followed  the  cavalry  in  the  charge, 
now  poured  over  the  breastworks  and  forced  the  enemy  out. 

Under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms, .  Major  Gilpin 
charged  upon  the  enemy's  centre,  and  forced  him  from  his  intrench 
ments.  The  American  battery  opened  upon  the  enemy's  extreme 
right,  from  which  a  heavy  fire  had  been  kept  up  upon  the  line  and  a 
wagon  train.  Two  of  the  enemy's  guns  there  were  soon  dismounted, 
that  battery  silenced,  and  the  enemy  dislodged  from  the  redoubt  on 


428  BATTLE    OF    SACRAMENTO. 

the  Cerro  Frijoles.  A  body  of  lancers  were  seen  forming  for  the 
purpose  of  out-flanking  the  American  left,  and  attacking  the  merchant 
train.  Major  Clark  opened  on  them  a  very  destructive  fire  of  grape 
and  small  shot,  and  soon  cleared  the  field  of  them. 

Having  vacated  his  intrenchments,  and  deserted  his  guns,  the  enemy 
was  hotly  pursued  towards  the  mountains,  beyond  Cerro  Frijoles,  and 
down  Arroyo  Seco  de  Sacramento,  by  both  wings  of  the  army,  under 
Colonel  Mitchell,  Colonel  Jackson,  Major  Gilpin,  and  Captain  Weight- 
man,  with  the  howitzers.  These  were  repeatedly  fired  with  great  effect. 
At  one  time  the  gallant  Weightman,  pressing  on  in  front,  found  that 
his  guns  were  not  following.  He  rode  back  to  where,  through  some 
misunderstanding,  they  had  stopped,  and  shouted,  "  On  with  that 
battery.  If  I  knew  who  had  halted  you,  I'd  cut  him  down."  He 
had  no  further  reason  to  complain  of  its  movements.  Meanwhile  the 
enemy's  battery  on  the  Cerro  Sacramento  had  been  strengthened  by 
a  number  of  pieces  taken  from  the  other  intrenchments.  To  cover 
the  flight  of  their  troops  from  the  intrenched  camp,  they  opened  a 
very  heavy  fire  upon  the  pursuing  forces  and  the  wagons  in  the  rear. 
Without  waiting  for  orders,  Major  Clark  occupied  the  nearest  of  the 
enemy's  intrenchments,  distant  about  twelve  hundred  yards  ;  and,  not 
withstanding  that  the  elevated  position  of  the  Mexicans  gave  them  the 
advantage  of  a  plunging  fire  into  the  intrenchments,  and  the  greater 
range  of  their  guns,  the  first  cannon  fired  by  the  Americans  dis 
mounted  one  of  the  enemy's  pieces,  and  the  others  were  successively 
silenced.  They  commenced  a  precipitate  retreat,  under  the  fire  of 
Major  Clark's  guns,  which  only  ceased  when  Colonel  Mitchell  was 
seen  to  scale  the  hill,  followed  by  the  indefatigable  Weightman  with 
his  howitzers,  and  secure  the  last  position  of  the  Mexicans.  The 
gallant  colonel  came  galloping  down  from  the  heights  on  his  splendid 
white  charger,  waving,  as  a  proud  token  of  his  successful  prowess, 
the  standard  of  the  beaten  enemy.  The  victors  were  about  to  con 
tinue  the  pursuit,  when  they  wrere  recalled  to  the  camp  by  Colonel 
Doniphan.  The  fight  lasted  three  hours,  during  the  whole  of  which, 
says  Major  Clark,  every  officer  and  man  did  his  duty  with  cheerful 
ness,  coolness,  and  precision,  as  is  shown  by  the  admirable  effect 
produced  by  their  fire,  the  great  accuracy  of  their  aim,  their  expedi 
tion  and  ingenuity  in  supplying  deficiencies  in  the  field  during  the 
action,  and  the  prompt  management  of  their  pieces,  rendered  still 
more  remarkable  from  the  fact,  that,  during  the  fight,  he  had  less 
than  two-thirds  the  number  of  cannoneers  generally  required  for  the 
service  of  light  artillery,  and  but  four  of  the  twelve  artillery  carriages 
belonging  to  the  battery  harnessed  with  horses ;  the  other  eight  being 
drawn  by  mules. 


RESULT   OF    THE    BATTLE. 


429 


Colonel  Mitchell  bearing  off  the  Mexican  Standard. 


As  long  as  the  enemy  continued  to  occupy  his  position,  the  Ame 
rican  artillery  was  a  constant  point  of  attack,  yet  notwithstanding  the 
great  quantity  of  balls  poured  upon  it,  not  a  man  attached  to  it  was 
hurt,  nor  a  gun  struck,  excepting  in  one  instance,  when  a  ball  struck 
the  tire  of  a  wheel  and  glanced  off  without  injuring  it.  Colonel  Doni- 
phan  bestowed  great  praise  on  his  whole  force,  but  especially  upon 
the  artillery.  "  Much  has  been  said,  and  justly,"  he  remarks,  "  of 
the  gallantry  of  our  artillery  unlimbering  within  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  of  the  enemy  at  Palo  Alto  ;  but  how  much  more  daring 
was  the  charge  of  Captain  Weightman,  when  he  unlimbered  within 
fifty  yards  of  the  redoubts  of  the  enemy." 

The  Mexicans  lost  their  whole  park  of  artillery,  consisting  of  ten 
pieces,  two  nine,  two  eight,  four  six,  and  two  four-pounders,  and 
six  culverinSj  or  rampart  pieces,  throwing  a  pound  of  lead  at  a  shot. 
They  had  three  hundred  killed,  as  many  wounded,  many  of  whom 
afterwards  died,  and  forty  prisoners.  They  left  behind  them  several 
)oads  of  ammunition,  and  nine  wagon  loads  or  thirteen  thousand 
pounds  of  hard  bread,  four  loads  of  dried  meat,  a  large  quantity  of 
sweetened  flour,  seven  hundred  thousand  cigaritos,  seven  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  and  ten  acres  of  sheep.* 

*  Edwards's  Campaign. 


430 


REMARKS    ON   THE    BATTLE. 


HE  black  flag  which  had  been  shown  them  at 
Bracito,  was  found  on  the  field,  and  brought 
home  to  Missouri,  by  Major  Clark.  Several 
national  and  regimental  colours  were  also 
taken,  and  several  bundles  of  rope  cut  into 
convenient  pieces,  called  lariats,  to  tie  the 
Americans  with,  when  they  should  have 
been  conquered.  What  amused  the  soldiers 
more,  was  an  attempted  improvement  upon 
General  Jackson's  defence  at  New  Orleans. 
This  production  of  Mexican  ingenuity  con 
sisted  in  great  quantities  of  small  bags, 
which  a  Mexican  officer  said  were  to  have  been  filled  with  cotton, 
and  hung  round  the  soldiers'  necks  as  armour.  However  effective 
this  might  have  proved  against  balls,  it  would  have  afforded  little 
safety  from  the  Missourians,  who  violated  all  rules  in  their  fighting. 
Private  Richardson  relates  an  anecdote,  in  his  Journal,  of  one  of  his 
comrades  in  this  battle,  who  slew  one  Mexican  with  the  contents  of 
his  rifle,  and  was  beset  by  another  armed  with  a  lance,  before  he 
had  time  to  reload.  Not  desiring  to  be  spitted,  the  volunteer  resorted 
to  natural  means  of  defence.  He  picked  up  a  great  stone,  threw 
it  with  such  force  as  to  knock  his  opponent  down,  and  then  beat 
out  his  brains  with  the  butt  of  his  rifle. 

The  Americans  seem  to  have  been  under  the  special  protection  of 
Providence.  Notwithstanding  the  fierceness  of  the  battle,  its  dura 
tion,  and  the  hand  to  hand  nature  of  the  conflict,  they  had  but  one 
man  killed,  one  mortally  wounded,  and  seven  others  who  received 
bad  wounds,  but  lost  no  limbs.  Others  received  slight  scratches  and 
contusions,  but  wrere  not  at  all  disabled,  and 'not  reported.  Colonel 
Doniphan's  force  numbered  nine  hundred  and  twenty-four  men,  one 
hundred  of  whom  were  engaged  in  holding  horses  and  driving  teams. 
Colonel  Doniphan  makes  the  force  of  the  enemy  to  be  twelve  hun 
dred  cavalry,  three  hundred  artillery,  and  fourteen  hundred  and 
twenty  rancheros ;  but  Mr.  Edwards  says  that  he  saw  their  adjutant- 
general's  book,  which  showed  their  force  to  be  four  thousand  two 
hundred  men.  Besides  numbers,  they  had  the  advantage  of  posess- 
ing  one  major-general,  five  brigadiers,  and  an  unlimited  number  of 
colonels  and  other  officers. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Sacramento,  as  we  find  it  given  in  the 
official  report  of  Colonel  Doniphan,  the  report  of  Major  Clark  to  that 
officer,  in  the  work  of  Mr.  Edwards,  (the  most  graphic  and  eloquent 
that  has  yet  appeared  upon  the  subject  of  the  Mexican  war,)  and  in 
the  public  prints.  Perhaps  the  best  idea  of  the  way  in  which  the 


DONIPHAN  ENTERS  CHIHUAHUA.       431 

victory,  was  won  may  be  obtained  from  Colonel  Doniphan's  account 
of  it,  as  given  to  General  Taylor  afterwards,  at  the  Walnut  Springs. 
We  quote  Mr.  Edwards :  "  By-the-by,  colonel,"  said  General  Taylor, 
"  every  one  is  talking  of  your  charge  at  Sacramento.  I  understand 
it  was  a  brilliant  affair.  I  wish  you  would  give  me  a  description  of  *" 
it,  and  of  your  manceuvers."  "  Maneuvers  be  hanged,"  returned 
Doniphan,  and  added,  "  I  don't  know  any  thing  about  the  charge, 
except  that  my  boys  kept  coming  to  me  to  let  them  charge,  but  I 
would  not  permit  them ;  for  I  was  afraid  they  would  be  all  cut  to 
pieces.  At  last,  I  saw  a  favourable  moment,  and  .told  them  they 
might  go — they  were  off  like  a  shot — and  that's  all  I  know  about  it!" 
On  the  day  after  the  battle,  the  army  marched  a  short  distance, 
and  then  halted  to  mend  their  ragged  clothes,  and  fix  up  for  a  tri 
umphal  entry  into  Chihuahua,  which  they  entered  the  next  day.  On 
the  third  of  the  month,  the  body  of  Major  Owens,  who  was  the  only 
man  killed  in  the  battle,  was  interred  with  the  honours  of  war. 

HIHUAHUA  became,  like  Santa  Fe,  the  starting 
point  of  a  new  expedition.  To  use  the  eloquent 
language  of  Mr.  Benton,  "  General  Taylor  was 
some  where — no  one  knew  exactly  where — but 
some  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles  towards  the 
other  side  of  Mexico.  They  had  heard  that  he 
had  been  defeated — that  Buena  Vista  had  not 
been  a  good  prospect  to  him.  Like  good  Americans,  they  did  not 
believe  a  word  of  it ;  but,  like  good  soldiers,  they  thought  it  best  to 
go  and  see."  A  council  was  held  first,  and  opinions  were  much 
divided  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue.  At  an  adjourned  meeting 
some  days  afterwards,  some  said  they  had  been  twice  disappointed 
in  finding  General  Wool,  at  El  Paso  and  at  Chihuahua,  and  they 
thought  they  had  gone  quite  far  enough  wool  gathering.  At  all 
events,  they  had  better  remain  for  a  while  in  their  present  comfort 
able  quarters,  and  repose  from  the  fatigues  of  their  great  expedition. 
Colonel  Doniphan  listened  for  a  considerable  time  to  their  arguments, 
with  some  surprise  and  impatience,  but  at  length  gave  his  opinion, 
commencing  by  bringing  his  ponderous  fist  down  on  the  table  with 
considerable  force.  He  .was  not  long  in  delivering  himself.  He  told 
them  that  they  might  possibly  have  found  fair  reasons  for  staying,  but 
he  was  "  for  going  home  to  Sarah  and  the  children."  An  express  of 
twelve  men  was  sent  to  General  Taylor,  to  learn  whether  they  should 
come  and  join  him,  or  return  home  by  the  way  of  Texas.  It  returned 
in  a  short  time  with  orders  to  march  forward  to  join  him  by  the  way 
of  Parras  and  Saltillo.  On  the  25th  of  April,  the  army  left  Chihuahua 
for  Saltillo,  where  he  reported  to  General  Wool  on  the  22d  of  May. 


432 


SKIRMISH    WITH   INDIANS. 


HIS  was  a  toilsome  march,  in  which 
hardships  had  to  be  encountered 
scarcely  less  grievous  than  those  they 
had  already  undergone.  Its  princi 
pal  event  was  an  exploit  performed 
by  Captain  Reid,  and  a  handful  of 
volunteers,  at  a  rancho  called  El 
Paso.  A  band  of  some  sixty  Lipaus, 
a  branch  of  the  Camanche  Indians, 
had  been  observed  coming  up  the 
valley  from  San  Luis  Potosi,  with 
plunder,  many  stolen  horses,  and 
captive  Mexicans.  An  advanced 
guard,  under  Colonel  Mitchell,  was 
in  Parras,  twenty-five  miles  ofT,  where  they  had  been  touched  by 
learning  the  kindness  of  the  Mexican  women  to  the  wounded  soldiers 
of  General  Wool's  column.  They  were  applied  to  for  aid,  by  the 
owner  of  El  Paso,  who  felt  confident  that  the  Indians  would  come  to 
attack  his  rancho.  He  offered  each  one  that  would  go  up  and  repel 
them,  the  use  of  a  good  pony  for  the  purpose ;  and  fifteen  of  them 
volunteered.  By  hard  riding,  they  got  to  the  rancho,  which  was  thirty 
miles  off,  a  little  before  daylight.  A  few  minutes  afterwards,  some 
American  officers  came  riding  along,  intent  upon  reaching  Parras  in 
advance  of  the  main  body.  Learning  the  anticipated  amusement, 
they  stopped  to  take  a  part  in  it,  and  thus  the  force  of  the  defenders 
was  increased  in  number  to  between  twenty  and  thirty.  The  Indians 
were  seen  soon  after  daybreak,  advancing  up  the  valley.  As  they 
came  towards  the  buildings,  the  Americans  sallied  out,  and  com 
menced  a  fight,  which  lasted  an  hour.  The  Indians  were  very  strong 
and  muscular,  and  they  kept  a  constant  rocking  motion  in  their  sad 
dles,  which  made  it  next  to  impossible  to  get  a  good  aim  at  them. 
They  were  very  expert  with  their  arrows,  however,  and  each  party 
was  compelled  to  fall  back  once  or  twice.  They  were  not  long  in 
learning,  from  the  number  that  were  dropping  from  their  saddles, 
that  they  were  exposed  to  a  far  more  deadly  weapon  than  the  Mexi 
can  carbine,  and  to  marksmen  who  knew  how  to  use  their  weapons. 
At  last  they  retreated,  carrying  most  of  their  dead  and  wounded 
away  with  them,  but  leaving  some  dead  bodies  behind,  eighteen  cap 
tives,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  stolen  cattle.  The  astonished 
Mexicans  were  loud  in  testifying  their  gratitude.  They  were  very 
much  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  Captain  Reid,  who  had  received  two 
arrow  wounds  on  the  chin,  and  they  examined  with  curiosity  the 
numerous  holes  which  the  arrows  had  made  in  the  soldiers'  clothes. 


TESTIMONY  TO  CAPTAIN  REID. 


433 


Nobody  but  the  captain,  however,  received  any  injury  worth  noticing, 
and  he  doubtless  considers  himself  amply  repaid  by  one  of  the 
proudest  trophies  ever  won  by  a  Christian  soldier  in  war.  This  is 
the  letter  of  thanks  from  the  prefect  of  the  department  of  Parras,  ad 
dressed  to  Captain  Reid  on  the  18th  of  May,  1847,  and  which  has 
been  translated  by  Mr.  Benton  as  follows : 

"  At  the  first  notice  that  the  barbarians,  after  killing  many,  and 
r  taking  captives,  were  returning  to  their  haunts,  you  generously  and 
bravely  offered,  with  fifteen  of  your  subordinates,  to  fight  them  on 
their  crossing  by  the  pass  of  the  Paso,  executing  this  enterprise  with 
celerty,  address,  and  bravery,  worthy  of  all  eulogy,  and  worthy  of 
the  brilliant  issue  which  all  celebrate.  You  recovered  many  animals 
and  much  plundered  property,  and  eighteen  captives  were  restored 
to  liberty  and  to  social  enjoyments,  and  their  souls  were  overflowing 
with  a  lively  sentiment  of  joy  and  gratitude,  which  all  the  inhabit 
ants  of  this  town  equally  breathe,  in  favour  of  their  generous  de 
liverers,  and  their  valiant  chief.  The  half  of  the  Indians  killed  in 
the  combat,  and  those  which  fly  wounded,  do  not  calm  the  pain 
which  all  feel  for  the  wound  which  your  excellency  received  in  de 
fending  Christians  and  civilized  beings  against  the  rage  and  brutality 
of  savages.  All  desire  the  speedy  re-establishment  of  your  health  ; 
and  although  they  know  that  in  your  own  noble  soul  will  be  found 
the  best  reward  of  your  conduct,  they  desire  also  to  address  you  the 
expression  of  their  gratitude  and  high  esteem.  I  am  honoured  in 
being  the  organ  of  public  sentiment,  and  pray  you  to  accept  it,  with 
the  assurance  of  my  most  distinguished  esteem. 
"God  and  liberty!" 

HE  army  was  reviewed  by  Ge 
neral  Wool,  at  Saltillo,    and 
many  endeavours  made  to  in 
duce  them  to  re-enlist,  but  the 
thought   of    "  Sarah    and  the 
children"  was  too  strong  to  be  overcome 
by  any  of  the  temptations  of  the  gallant  ge 
neral,  and  they  resumed  the  march  home 
ward.     They  reported  to  General  Taylor  at 
Monterey,  on  the  27th  of  May,  and  thence 
they  marched  to  Matamoras,  carrying  with 

them  their  artillery,  which  General  Taylor  permitted  them  to  take 
home  as  trophies,  in  consideration  of  c<  their  gallantry  and  noble  bear 
ing."  They  made  the  march  from  Chihuahua  to  Matamoras,  nine 
hundred  miles,  in  forty-five  days.  They  arrived  at  New  Orleans 
about  the  middle  of  June,  and  at  St.  Louis  on  the  2d  of  July,  where 
20  55 


434 


RETURN  OF  DONIPHANS  REGIMENT. 


they  received  a  most  glorious  welcome.  Judge  Bowlin  received 
them  on  the  part  of  the  people,  a  banquet  was  spread  for  them,  and 
their  popular  fellow-citizen,  Colonel  Benton,  made  a  most  thrilling 
speech  to  the  assembled  mass  of  soldiers  and  people.  He  recounted 
the  events  of  their  long  and  almost  fabulous  expedition,  with  a  mi 
nuteness  and  accuracy  which  astonished  them.  He  traced  their  jour 
ney  of  five  thousand  miles,  from  St.  Louis  and  back  again.  He 
referred  to  the  famous  "  Retreat  of  the  Ten  Thousand,"  and  congratu 
lated  them  that  the  march  of  the  "  One  Thousand"  exceeded  that  of 
the  "  Ten"  by  some  two  thousand  miles. 

"  You  marched  farther  than  the  farthest,  fought  as  well  as  the  best, 
left  order  and  quiet  in  your  train,  and  cost  less  money  than  any. 
You  arrive  here  to-day,  absent  one  year,  marching  and  fighting  all  the 
time,  bringing  trophies  of  cannon  and  standards  from  fields  whose 
names  where  unknown  to  you  before  you  set  out,  and  only  grieving  that 
you  could  not  have  gone  farther.    Ten  pieces  of  cannon  rolled  out  of 
Chihuahua  to  arrest  your  march,  now  roll  through  the  streets  of  St. 
Louis,  to  grace  your  triumphal  return.     Many  standards,  all  pierced 
with  bullets,  while  waving  over  the  heads  of  the  enemy,  at   th« 
Sacramento,  now  wave  at  the  head  of  your  column.     The  black  flag 
brought  to  the  Bracito,  to  indicate  the  refusal  of  that  quarter,  which 
its  bearers  so  soon  needed  and  received,  now  takes  its  place  among 
your  nobler  trophies,  and  hangs  drooping  in  their  presence.     To 
crown  the  whole,  to  make  public  and  private  happiness  go  together, 
to  spare  the  cypress  where  the  laurel  hangs  in  clusters ;  this  long  and 
perilous  march,  with  all  its  accidents  of  field  and  camp,  presents  an 
incredibly  small  list  of  comrades  lost.     Almost  all  return !  and  the 
joy  of  families  resounds  intermingled  with  the  applauses  of  the  state." 

HE  importance  of  tak 
ing  military  possess 
ion  of  California  had 
early  engaged  the  at 
tention  of  the  United 
States  government. 
Commodore  Sloat  was 
directed,  in  a  secret 
and  confidential  order 
i^^-  from  the  navy  depart- 

V  -*- 

'_   ment,  in  June,  1845, 
to  possess  himself  of 
the  port  of  San  Fran 
blockade 


CISCO, 


and 


or  occupy  such  other  ports  as  his  force  would  allow,  as  soon  as  be 


ORDERS   TO    COMMODORE    SLOAT. 


435 


learned,  with  certainty,  of  the  existence  of  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico.  On  the  13th  of  May,  1846,  the  secretary  of  the 
navy  wrote  to  him  that  the  state  of  things  before  anticipated,  then 
actually  existed,  and  that  he  should  refer  to  his  former  instructions, 
and  carry  into  effect  the  orders  therein  communicated  with  energy 
and  promptitude.  Other  communications  were  despatched,  at  short 
'ntervals,  from  the  department  to  the  distant  commodore,  the  tenor 
of  which  was  nearly  the  same  as  the  first  one,  and  may  be  expressed 
most  clearly  in  the  words  of  the  secretary  himself.  "  The  object  of 
the  United  States  has  reference  to  ultimate  peace  with  Mexico ;  and 
if,  at  that  peace,  the  basis  of  the  uti  posseditis  shall  be  established, 
the  government  expects,  through  your  forces,  to  be  found  in  actual 
possession  of  California."  On  the  13th  of  August  an  order  was  issued 
from  the  navy  department,  addressed  to  the  senior  officer  in  the  com 
mand  on  the  Pacific,  enforcing  the  execution  of  the  instructions  be 
fore  sent  to  Commodore  Sloat,  and  giving  especial  directions  for  the 
maintenance  of  friendly  relations  with  the  people.  The  flag  of  the 
United  States  was  to  be  raised,  but  the  people  were  to  be  allowed  as 
much  liberty  of  self-government  beneath  it  as  would  be  consistent 
with  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  the  United  States.  All  Ame 
rican  vessels  and  merchandise  were  to  be  allowed  to  come  and  go 
free  of  duty,  and  on  foreign  vessels  and  goods,  reasonable  duties 
were  to  be  imposed  and  collected  by  the  local  authorities. 

HE  naval  commander  was 
then  informed  that  a  mili 
tary  force  had  been  di 
rected  by  the  secretary  of 
war  to  proceed  to  the  west 
ern  coast  of  California,  for 
the  purpose  of  co-operating 
with  the  navy,  in  taking 
possession  of  and  holding 
the  ports  and  positions  be 
fore  designated,  and  co 
operating  otherwise  in  the 
war.  A  detachment  of 
these  troops,  consisting  of 
a  company  of  artillery, 
under  Captain  Tompkins,  had  sailed  in  the  United  States  ship  Lex 
ington,  and  Colonel  Stevenson  would  soon  sail  from  New  York  writh 
a  regiment  of  volunteers.  General  Kearny  was  expected  to  reach 
the  coast  by  the  overland  route  from  Santa  Fe,  and  the  secretary  en 
joined  the  most  cordial  and  effectual  co-operation  between  the 


436  CAPTURE    OF   MONTEREY. 

officers  of  the  two  services,  in  taking  possession  of  and  holding  the 
ports  and  positions  of  the  enemy  designated  in  the  instructions  to  either 
or  both  branches ;  and  announced  the  intention  of  the  government  to 
hold  any  commander  of  either  branch  to  a  strict  responsibility  for 
any  failure  to  preserve  harmony  and  secure  the  objects  proposed. 

all  these  despatches,  that  of  the  13th 
of  May,  issued  on  the  day  when  the 
war  was  formally  recognized  as  exist 
ing  by  Congress,  was  received  on  the 
19th  of  August,  and  the  others  at  sub 
sequent  dates,  though  they  did  not 
come  until  after  victory  had  crowned 
the  arms  of  the  gallant  Americans, 
afforded  the  noble  spirits  who  had 
achieved  the  conquest  the  satisfac 
tion  of  knowing  that  they  had  only 

anticipated  the  wishes  of  the  government,  and  that  American  officers 
never  do  wrong  in  zealously  opposing  their  country's  enemies. 

Commodore  Sloat  received  satisfactory  information,  at  Mazat- 
lan  on  the  7th  of  June,  1846,  that  the  Mexican  troops,  six  or  seven 
thousand  in  number,  had  invaded  the  territory  of  the  United  States, 
and  attacked  General  Taylor.  He  was  told  that  the  American  fleet 
was  blockading  the  eastern  coast,  and  he  immediately  entered  upon 
a  series  of  novel  and  important  movements.  He  left  Mazatlan,  and 
sailed  to  Monterey,  which  he  reached  on  the  3d  of  July,  in  the  flag 
ship  Savannah.  He  found  there  the  Cyane  and  the  Levant.  After 
an  examination  of  the  defences,  &c.,  of  the  town,  and  completing 
his  arrangements  for  capturing  it,  he  sent  Captain  Mervine,  on  the 
morning  of  the  7th  of  July,  to  demand  its  surrender.  The  Mexican 
commander  promptly  answered  that  he  was  not  authorized  to  surren 
der  the  place,  and  referred  Commodore  Sloat  to  Don  Jose  Castro,  the 
governor  of  California.'  It  was  therefore  taken  by  Captain  Mervine 
and  Commander  Page,  who  landed  two  hundred  and  fifty  seamen 
and  marines,  marched  to  the  custom-house,  raised  the  star-spangled 
banner,  amid  cheers  from  the  troops  and  bystanders,  and  a  national 
salute  from  the  squadron.  A  proclamation  from  the  commodore  was 
then  posted  about  the  town,  in  English  and  in  Spanish,  setting  forth 
that  war  existed  by  the  act  of  Mexico,  that  General  Taylor  had  com 
menced  a  career  of  conquest  on  the  Rio  Grande,  by  defeating  a  Mex 
ican  army  of  three  times  his  own  strength,  and  that  the  standard  of 
the  United  States  would  be  immediately  carried  throughout  Califor 
nia.  It  announced  that,  although  the  commodore  came  in  arms,  he 
came  as  a  friend ;  that  thenceforth  California  would  be  a  portion  of 


COMMODORE    SLOAT's   PROCLAMATION.         437 


Capture  of  Monterey. 


the  United  States,  and  its  peaceable  inhabitants  would  be  confirmed 
in  the  rights  they  then  enjoyed,  and  have  in  addition  the  superior 
advantages  afforded  to  the  people  by  the  constitution,  laws,  and  re 
sources  of  the  United  States,  under  which  they  might  reasonably  hope 
to  advance  and  improve  rapidly,  both  in  agriculture  and  commerce. 
Such  of  the  inhabitants  as  were  not  disposed  to  live  peaceably  under 
the  government  of  the  United  States,  were  to  be  allowed  time  to  dis^ 
pose  of  their  property,  and  to  remove  out  of  the  country,  if  they 
chose,  without  any  restriction,  or  to  remain  in  it  in  the  observance 
of  strict  neutrality.  The  civil  functionaries  were  desired  to  retain 
their  offices,  and  preserve  public  tranquillity;  and  the  people  and 
clergy  were  assured  of  their  being  unmolested  in  their  property, 
rights,  and  possessions.  This  proclamation  was  expected  to  have 
the  more  effect,  from  the  strict  and  praiseworthy  adherence  to  its 
spirit  by  the  crews  of  the  ships,  who  did  not  commit  a  single  irregu 
larity  of  any  kind  during  the  whole  time  they  were  on  shore. 

After  taking  possession  of  Monterey,  Commodore  Sloat  summoned 
Don  Jose  Castro  to  surrender  every  thing  under  his  control  and 
jurisdiction  in  California,  that  that  country  might  be  spared  the  hor 
rors  of  war.  He  was  requested  to  meet  the  commodore  at  Monterey, 
to  arrange  terms  of  capitulation.  Not  being  satisfied  of  the  reason 
ableness  of  this  request,  General  Castro  replied  that  he  should  consult 
rhe  governor  and  assembly  of  the  department,  and  meanwhile  should 
2o2 


438 


CAPTURE  OF  YERBA  BUENA. 


Capture  of  Yerba  Buena. 

defend  the  country  as  long  as  he  could  rely  upon  the  faithfulness  of 
a  single  follower.  On  the  9th  July,  Commodore  Sloat  despatched 
a  letter  to  Don  Pio  Pico,  the  governor  at  Santa  Barbara,  informing 
him  of  the  summons  to  General  Castro  to  surrender  the  country,  and 
inviting  him  to  come  to  Monterey  to  see  for  himself  the  manner  in 
which  the  people  of  that  place  had  been  treated,  the  truth  of  the  state 
ment,  that  though  he  came  in  arms,  he  came  as  a  friend  to  California. 
The  governor,  however,  neither  came  nor  answered  the  invitation. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  orders  were  sent  by  the  commodore  to  Com, 
mander  J.  B.  Montgomery,  who  was  at  San  Francisco  with  the  United 
States  sloop  Portsmouth,  directing  him  to  hoist  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  at  Yerba  Buena,  or  any  other  suitable  place,  take  possession 
in  the  name  of  the  United  States  of  the  fort  and  adjacent  country, 
and  secure  the  bay  of  San  Francisco.  He  was  also  requested  to  for 
ward  a  letter  to  Captain  Fremont,  to  ascertain  if  he  would  co-operate 
in  the  conquest  of  the  country.  These  instructions  were  received  by 
Commander  Montgomery  on  the  8th,  and  immediately  carried  out. 
He  landed  at  Yerba  Buena  with  seventy  sailors  and  marines,  hoisted 
the  American  flag,  addressed  the  people,  and  posted  the  proclamation 
on  the  flag-staff.  A  volunteer  force  of  thirty-two  men  was  then  or 
ganized  from  the  inhabitants  of  Yerba  Buena,  under  Lieutenants 
Missroon  and  Watson,  of  the  navy.  As  early  as  one  o'clock  on  the 
8th,  Lieutenant  Missroon  set  out  with  a  part  of  this  new  force  to 


OPERATIONS  OF  CAPTAIN  MONTGOMERY.  439 


ascertain  the  condition  of  the  presidio  and  fort,  and  on  the  same  day 
reported  that  he  had  found  the  presidio  abandoned,  and  the  fort  in  a 
dilapidated  condition.  He  had  displayed  the  American  flag  from  its 
ramparts.  On  the  same  day,  also,  Lieutenant  Watson  started  from 
Yerba  Buena  to  intercept  Captain  Fremont,  who  was  then  on  his 
march  from  the  Sacramento.  On  the  llth  of  July,  Commander 
Montgomery  informed  Commodore  Sloat  that  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  was  flying  at  Yerba  Buena,  at  Sutter's  Fort,  on  the  Sacramento, 
at  Bodega,  on  the  coast,  and  at  Sonoura ;  and  added,  that  the  pro 
tection  of  person  and  property,  which  the  American  flag  promised  to 
California  and  its  inhabitants,  seemed  to  be  generally  hailed  with 
satisfaction.  On  the  day  on  which  he  sent  this  communication  to  the 
commodore,  a  British  vessel  of  twenty-six  guns,  the  Juno,  arrived  at 
San  Francisco,  and  anchored.  Captain  Montgomery  brought  all  his 
crew  from  the  shore  to  the  ship,  as  a  preparation  for  defending  his 
position,  in  case  the  English  commander  should  think  proper  to  make 
any  opposition.  The  "  volunteer  guards  of  Yerba  Buena"  took  upon 
themselves  the  task  of  defending  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  as 
suring  the  commander  that  it  should  wave  while  a  single  man  of  their 
body  lived  to  defend  it.  Don  Francisco  Sanchez,  the  military  com 
mander  of  the  district,  promptly  complied  with  the  requisition  of 
Commander  Montgomery,  that  he  should  come  in  and  deliver  up  the 
arms  and  public  property  in  his  possession.  He  said  that  he  had  no 
public  property,  but  showed  where  several  guns  were  buried.  Lieu 
tenant  Missroon  went  to  the  mission  of  Dolores,  but  found  only  a 
quantity  of  public  documents,  which  were  carefully  packed  and 
sealed  with  the  consulate  seal,  and  deposited  in  the  custom-house. 

N  the  13th  of  July,  at  their 
own  request,  Commodore 
Sloat  furnished  a  flag  to  the 
foreigners  of  the  Pueblo  of 
San  Jose,  a  place  seventy 
miles  interior  from  Monterey. 
He  had  just  completed  the 
organization  of  a  company 
of  thirty-five  dragoons,  made 
up  of  volunteers  from  the 
ships  and  citizens,  to  recon- 
noiter  the  country,  and  keep 
open  the  land  communica 
tion  between  the  different 
places  held  by  the  Ameri 
cans.  Purser  Fauntleroy  was 


440  CAPTAIN    FREMONT. 

appointed  to  command  this  body,  and  Midshipman  McLane  was  ap 
pointed  first  lieutenant.  On  the  17th,  Mr.  Fauntleroy  reconnoitered 
as  far  as  the  mission  of  St.  Johns,  intending  to  *ake  that  place,  and 
recover  ten  brass  guns  said  to  have  been  buried  there  by  the  Mexi 
cans  some  time  previously.  On  his  arrival  there,  he  found  the  gal 
lant  Fremont  already  in  possession,  and  the  two  returned  together  to 
the  commodore  at  Monterey,  setting  out  on  the  19th  of  July. 

HILE  these  operations  had  been  performed 
on  the  coast,  with  a  preci 
sion  and  determination  that 
would  have  triumphed  over 
all  obstacles,  the  more  for 
tunate  Captain  Fremont  had 
been  engaged  in  the  achieve 
ment  of  an  enterprise  which 
added  lasting  honours  to  his 
already  enviable  reputation.  As  assistant  and  successor  to  the  cele 
brated  Nicollet,  he  had  served  in  exploring  the  territories  of  the  far 
West,  suffering  amid  the  snows  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  the  greatest 
hardships  and  privations.  He  drew  the  attention  of  the  whole 
country  upon  himself  by  his  able  report  of  two  scientific  expeditions 
which  he  conducted,  one  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  1842,  and  the 
other  to  Oregon,  in  1843-4,  and  the  president  conferred  upon  him 
the  rare  honour  of  advancing  him  two  grades  in  the  army  at  the 
same  time.  He  left  the  seat  of  government  in  1845,  to  continue  his 
explorations  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  under  orders  which  con 
fined  him  wholly  to  scientific  objects.  He  took  no  officer  or  soldier 
with  him ;  and  the  whole  company  which  he  led  consisted  only  of 
sixty-two  men,  engaged  by  himself  as  security  against  the  Indians, 
and  for  assistants  in  the  duties  of  his  mission.  One  of  the  objects 
proposed  to  be  accomplished  by  him  at  this  time  was  the  discovery 
of  a  new  and  shorter  route  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  and  the  search  would  necessarily  cause  him  to  tra 
verse  a  portion  both  of  the  unsettled  and  the  inhabited  parts  of  Cali 
fornia.  He  was  aware  of  the  delicate  nature  of  the  relations  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  his  conduct  proved  him  to  be  the 
very  man  for  the  crisis ;  wise  in  matters  connected  with  interna 
tional  law,  cautious  in  his  language,  and  circumspect  in  his  conduct, 
yet  firm  and  spirited  in  his  bearing  when  his  rights  as  a  man  and 
an  American  were  encroached  upon.  About  the  commencement  of 
the  year  1846,  he  approached  the  settlements  in  California.  Leav 
ing  his  men  on  the  frontiers,  a  hundred  miles  from  Monterey,  he 
marched  alone  to  that  city,  where  he  found  the  United  States  consul, 


GALLANTRY    OF   FREMONT. 


44J 


Monterey,  Upper  California. 

T.  0.  Larkin,  Esq.,  with  whom  he  visited  the  principal  officers  of 
the  country.  These  they  informed  officially  that  his  expedition  was 
of  a  scientific  character  only ;  that  his  men  were  not  soldiers ;  and 
that  he  was  endeavouring  to  find  the  shortest  route  from  the  United 
States  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Upon*this,  Governor  Castro  complied 
with  his  request,  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  pass  the  winter  in  the 
valley  of  San  Joaquin,  where  there  was  grass  for  his  horses,  and  game 
for  his  men.  Captain  Fremont  then  returned  to  his  men,  and  they 
moved  leisurely  towards  the  place  they  had  designated  for  recruiting 
their  strength,  encamping  on  the  3d  of  March  on  a  rancho  belonging 
to  Mr.  E.  P.  Hartwell.  Here  he  received  letters  from  Castro  and 
the  prefect  of  the  country,  ordering  him  out  of  it,  threatening  him 
that  if  he  remained  under  any  pretext  whatever,  he  would  be  forcibly 
ejected. 

Determining  to  abide  by  the  assurances  given  him  in  person  at 
Monterey,  Captain  Fremont  did  not  answer  these  messages,  but  told 
his  men  to  hoist  the  American  flag,  as  the  only  protection  they  had 
to  look  to.  On  the  7th  of  March,  and  the  three  following  days,  they 
employed  themselves  in  fortifying  their  position  by  creating  a  breast 
work  of  logs.  Their  position  was  on  a  high  hill,  whence  they  could 
see  with  their  glasses  the  preparations  of  the  general,  in  his  camp  at 
the  mission  of  St.  Johns.  On  the  9th,  Mr.  Larkin  sent  letters  to 
Captain  Fremont,  informing  him  of  the  movements  of  the  Califor- 
nians,  who  were  preparing  to  attack  him  with  a  large  force  of  artil 

56 


442 


FREMONTS  LETTER  TO  MR.  LARK1N. 


lery,  cavalry,  and  infantry.  One  of  these  letters,  carried  by  a  Mexi 
can,  reached  him,  and  he  wrote  an  answer  to  the  consul  which  will 
be  preserved  in  the  annals  of  our  history  as  characteristic  of  the  war 
and  the  warriors.  "  I  am  making  myself  as  strong  as  possible,"  he 
says,  "  in  the  intention  that,  if  we  are  unjustly  attacked,  we  will  fight 
to  extremity,  and  refuse  quarter,  trusting  to  our  country  to  avenge 
our  death.  No  one  has  reached  our  camp,  and  from  the  heights  we 
are  able  to  see  troops  mustering  at  St.  Johns  and  preparing  cannon. 
I  thank  you  for  your  kindness  and  good  wishes,  and  would  write 
more  at  length  as  to  my  intentions,  did  I  not  fear  my  letter  would 
be  intercepted.  We  have  in  no  wise  done  wrong  to  the  people 
or  the  authorities  of  the  country,  and  if  we  are  hemmed  in  and 
assaulted  here,  we  will  die,  every  man  of  us,  under  the  flag  of  our 
country." 

The  consul,  Mr.  Larkin,  gave  a  translation  of  this  letter  to  the  alcalde, 
at  his  earnest  request,  and  it  was  immediately  sent  to  the  general, 
who  felt  no  anxiety  to  press  too  closely  upon  men  who  had  unani 
mously  resolved  to  die  before  surrendering,  and  who,  he  well  knew, 
would  not  die  without  a  desperate  resistance. 

|APTAIN  FREMONT,  however, 
had  previously  resolved  to 
abandon  his  mission,  and  re 
turn  to  the  United  States,  rather 
than  bring  about  difficulties  be 
tween  his  country  and  Mexico,  and  now, 
finding  the  expected  attack  delayed,  he 
quietly -moved  out  of  his  encampment,  on 
the  night  of  the  10th  of  March.  A  private 
letter,  written  only  to  inform  his  lady  of  his 
personal  concerns,  has  been  made  public  by 
subsequent  events,  and  we  quote  his  own  modest  account  of  his  doings 
in  the  valley  of  Joaquin,  as  given  therein.  "  The  Spaniards  were 
somewhat  rude  and  inhospitable  below,  and  ordered  me  out  of  the 
country,  after  having  given  me  permission  to  winter  there.  My 
sense  of  duty  did  not  permit  me  to  fight  them,  but  we  retired  slowly 
and  growlingly  before  a  force  of  three  or  four  hundred  men  and 
three  pieces  of  artillery.  Without  the  shadow  of  a  cause,  the  governor 
suddenly  raised  the  whole  country  against  me,  issuing  a  false  and 
scandalous  proclamation.  Of  course  I  did  not  dare  to  compromise 
the  United  States,  against  which  appearances  would  have  been 
strong ;  but  though  it  was  in  my  power  to  increase  my  party  by 
Americans,  I  refrained  from  committing  a  solitary  act  of  hostility  or 
impropriety." 


C ASTROS    PROCLAMATION. 


443 


""THE  valiant  General  Castro,  finding  the 
gallant  little  band  moving  towards 
Oregon,  led  his  followers  into  their 
camp,  where  he  found  the  staff  used 
for  the  flag,  some  tent  poles,  some 
old  clothes,  and  two  old  pack  sad 
dles,  all  thrown  away,  because  they 
were  useless.  He  magnified  these 
into  munitions  of  war,  and  stated 
that  he  had  received  various  mes 
sages  from  Captain  Fremont,  threatening  to  exterminate  the  Califor- 
nians.  Mr.  Larkin  could  not  get  him  to  name  any  one  of  the  mes 
sengers.  A  lying  proclamation  was  posted  in  the  billiard-room  at 
Monterey,  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  in  which  the  general  informed  the 
inhabitants  that  a  band  of  "bandoleros,"  (highwaymen,)  under  Cap 
tain  Fremont,  of  the  United  States  army,  had  come  into  his  depart 
ment,  but  that  he  with  two  hundred  patriots  had  driven  them  out, 
and  sent  them  into  the  back  country.  Some  of  these  patriots  soon 
after  came  to  Monterey,  and  reported  that  the  cowards  had  run,  and 
that  they  had  driven  them  into  the  Sacramento  river ;  others  said 
that  they  had  driven  them  into  the  bulrushes  on  the  plains  of  the 
Sacramento,  and  that  in  their  flight  they  had  left  some  of  their  horses 
behind  them. 

The  truth  of. the  matter  was,  that  Captain  Fremont  retired  "  growl- 
ingly"  before  them,  marching  only  from  four  to  six  miles  a  day,  and 
the  affair  of  the  horses  was  another  instance  of  his  scrupulous  care  to 
avoid  compromising  his  government  in  any  way.  Several  of  the 
horses  of  the  Californians  had  strayed  into  his  camp  in  the  night,  and 
he  had  left  them  there  in  the  morning  when  he  went  away,  that  they 
might  not  be  able  to  accuse  him  of  carrying  them  off.  During  the 
whole  "  pursuit,"  these  patriots  took  good  care  not  to  approach  too 
near  to  the  little  party,  whose  love  for  their  commander,  and  confi 
dence  in  his  superior  judgment,  alone  restrained  them  from  an  attack 
upon  the  party  that  followed.  At  the  middle  of  May,  Captain  Fre 
mont  had  arrived  at  the  great  Tlamath  lake,  in  the  Oregon  territory. 
He  intended  to  return  to  the  United  States  by  the  Columbia  and  Mis-» 
souri,  through  the  northern  pass  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  he 
found  his  progress  stopped  by  bands  of  hostile  Indians,  who  had  been 
excited  against  him  by  Castro,  and  who  had  already  killed  and* 
wounded  five  of  his  men. 

We  quote  from  an  able  memorial  of  Christopher  Carson,  whose 
exploits  in  the  service  of  Captain  Fremont  have  made  him  deservedly 
famous  and  popular,  an  account  of  the  warfare  with  the  Tlamath  In- 


444 


TLAMATH    INDIANS. 


r 


'.          Colonel  Fremont. 

dians,  as  a  specimen  of  the  incidents  frequently  met  with  by  these 
indefatigable  explorers. 

A  courier  having  overtaken  Captain  Fremont  at  Tlamath  lake,  to 
say  that  Mr.  Gillespie  and  five  men  were  endeavouring  to  overtake 
him,  he  took  ten  men  and  returned  sixty  miles  with  the  courier, 
making  all  haste,  in  order  to  reach  them  before  night,  and  prevent 
any  attack  which  the  Indians  might  be  tempted  to  make  on  a  small 
party.  These  Tlamath  Indians,  by  nature  brave  and  warlike,  have 
now  a  new  source  of  power  in  the  iron  arrow  heads  and  axes  fur 
nished  them  by  the  British  posts  in  that  country.  Their  arrows  can 

*bnly  be  extracted  from  the  flesh  by  the  knife,  as  they  are  barbed,  and 
of  course  not  to  be  drawn  out.  The  events  of  that  night,  and  the 
days  following,  illustrate  so  fully  .the  nightly  danger  of  an  Indian 

'country,  that  I  will  give  them  in  Carson's  own  words : 

"  Mr.  Gillespie  had  brought  the  colonel  letters  from  home,  the  first 
he  had  had  since  leaving  the  States  the  year  before— and  he  was  up, 
and  kept  a  large  fire  burning  till  after  midnight;  the  rest  of  us  were 
tired  out,'  and  all  went  to  sleep.  This  was  the  only  night  in  all  our 


FREMONT'S  PARTY  SURPRISED. 


445 


Christopher  Carson. 

travels,  except  the  one  night  on  the  island  in  the  Salt  lake,  that  we 
failed  to  keep  guard  ;  and  as  the  men  were  so  tired,  and  we  expected 
no  attack,  now  that  we  had  sixteen  in  the  party,  the  colonel  didn't 
like  to  ask  it  of  them ;  but  sat  up  late  himself.  Owens  and  I  were 
sleeping  together,  and  we  were  waked  at  the  same  time  by  the  licks 
of  the  axe  that  killed  our  men.  At  first  I  didn't  know  it  was  that ; 
but  I  called  to  Basil,  who  was  that  side — '  What's  the  matter  there  ? 
what's  that  fuss  about?' — he  never  answered,  for  he  was  dead,  then, 
poor  fellow,  and  he  never  knew  what  killed  him — his  head  had  been 
cut  in,  in  his  sleep ;  the  other  groaned  a  little  as  he  died.  The 
Delawares  (we  had  four  with  us)  were  sleeping  at  that  fire,  and  they 
sprang  up  as  the  Tlamaths  charged  them.  One  of  them  caught  up  a 
gun  which  was  unloaded ;  but,  although  he  could  do  no  execution, 
he  kept  them  at  bay,  fighting  like  a  soldier,  and  didn't  give  up  until* 
he  was  shot  full  of  arrows — three  entering  his  heart ;  he  died  bravely. 
As  soon  as  I  had  called  out,  I  saw  it  was  Indians  in  the  camp,  and  I 
and  Owens  together  cried  out  '  Indians.'  There  were  no  orders 
given ;  things  went  on  too  fast,  and  the  colonel  had  men  with  him 
that  didn't  need  to  be  told  their  duty.  The  colonel  and  I,  Maxwell, 
Owens,  Godey,  and  Stepp,  jumped  together,  we  six,  and  ran  to  the 
assistance  of  our  Delawares.  I  don't  know  who  fired  and  who  didn't : 
2P 


446 


SKIRMISH   WITH   THE    TLAMATHS. 


but  I  think  it  was  Stepp's  shot  that  killed  the  Tlamath  chief;  for  it 
was  at  the  crack  of  Stepp's  gun  that  he  fell.  He  had  an  English 
half  axe  strung  to  his  wrist  by  a  cord,  and  there  were  forty  arrows  left 
in  his  quiver — the  most  beautiful  and  warlike  arrows  I  ever  saw.  He 
must  have  been  the  bravest  man  among  them,  from  the  way  he  was 
armed,  and  judging  by  his  cap.  When  the  Tlamaths  saw  him  fall, 
they  ran,  but  we  lay,  every  man  with  his  rifle  cocked,  until  daylight, 
expecting  another  attack. 

N  the  morning,  we  found  by  the  tracks 
that  from  fifteen  to  twenty  of  the  Tla 
maths  had  attacked  us.  They  had 
killed  three  of  our  men,  and  wounded 
one  of  the  Delawares,  who  scalped 
the  chief,  whom  we  left  where  he  fell. 
Our  dead  we  carried  on  mules ;  but, 
after  going  about  ten  miles,  we  found 
it  impossible  to  get  them  any  farther 
through  the  thick  timber,  and,  find 
ing  a  secret  place,  we  buried  them 
under  logs  and  chunks,  having  no  way. 
to  dig  a  grave.  It  was  only  a  few  days  before  this  fight,  that  some 
of  these  same  Indians  had  come  into  our  camp  ;  and,  although  we 
had  only  meat  for  two  days,  and  felt  sure  that  we  should  have  to  eat 
mules  for  ten  or  fifteen  days  to  come,  the  colonel  divided  with  them, 
and  even  had  a  mule  unpacked,  to  give  them  some  tobacco  and 
knives." 

The  party  then  retraced  its  way  into  California,  and  two  days  after 
this  rencounter,  they  met  a  large  village  of  Tlamaths — more  than  a 
hundred  warriors.  Carson  was  in  advance  with  ten  men,  but  one  of 
them  having  been  discovered,  he  could  not  follow  his  orders,  which 
were  to  send  back  word,  and  let  Fremont  come  up  in  case  they  found 
Indians.  But  as  they  had  been  seen,  it  only  remained  to  charge  the 
village,  which  they  did,  killing  many,  and  putting  the  rest  to  flight. 
**  The  women  and  children,"  Carson  says,  "  we  didn't  interfere  with; 
but  they  burnt  the  village,  together  with  their  canoes  and  fishing  nets." 
In  a  subsequent  encounter  the  same  day,  Carson's  life  was  immi 
nently  exposed.  As  they  galloped  up,  he  was  rather  in  advance 
when  he  observed  an  Indian  fixing  his  arrow  to  let  fly  at  him.  Car 
son  levelled  his  rifle,  but  it  snapped,  and  in  an  instant  the  arrow 
would  have  pierced  him,  had  not  Fremont,  seeing  the  danger, 
dashed  his  horse  on  the  Indian,  and  knocked  him  down,  "I  owe 
my  life  to  them  two,"  says  Carson — "  the  colonel  and  Sacramento 
saved  me." 


CAPTURE    OF    ARMS    AND    AMMUNITION.         447 


HE  name  Sacramento,  is  that  of  a 
noble  Californian  horse  which 
Captain  Slitter  gave  to  Colonel 
Fremont  in  1844,  and  which  has 
twice  made  the  distance  between 
Kentucky  and  his  native  valley, 
where  he  earned  his  name  by 
.  swimming  the  river  after  which  he 
is  called,  at  the  close  of  a  long 
day's  journey.  Notwithstanding 
all  his  hardships,  for  he  has  tra 
velled  every  where  with  his  mas 
ter,  he  is  still  the  favourite  horse 
of  Colonel  Fremont. 

Besides  these  Indians,  Captain 
.Fremont  had  mountains  in  front 
on  which  the  snow  was  still  fall 
ing,  and  which  made  the  climate 
of  the  region  near  them  as  cold  as 
in  midwinter.  In  the  rear,  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  San  Francisco  Bay,  General  Castro  was  assembling 
troops  with  the  avowed  object  of  attacking  the  party  of  Captain  Fre 
mont  and  all  the  American  settlers,  because,  he  alleged,  the  captain 
had  come  for  the  purpose  of  inciting  the  settlers  to  revolt.  He  re 
mained  for  some  days  deliberating  upon  the  difficulties  of  his  situa 
tion,  suffering  with  his  men  and  horses,  from  cold,  fatigue,  and 
famine.  The  result  of  his  deliberations  was- a  determination  to  turn 
upon  his  pursuers  and  fight  them,  although  they  numbered  ten  times 
his  force,  and  to  seek  to  secure  himself  and  the  American  settlers  by 
overturning  the  existing  government. 

Having  fixed  upon  the  proper  course,  Captain  Fremont  pursued  it 
with  a  vigour  that  excited  the  most  lively  feelings  of  astonishment 
and  terror  in  the  minds  of  General  Castro  and  his  patriots.  On  the 
1 1th  of  June,  he  struck  the  first  blow.  At  daylight  on  that  day,  he 
surprised  an  officer  and  fourteen  men  on  the  way  to  the  Mexican 
camp,  with  two  hundred  horses  for  Castro's  army.  The  horses  were 
retained,  and  the  officer  and  the  men  released.  At  daybreak  on  the 
15th,  the  military  rendezvous  and  intended  head-quarters  was  sur 
prised  by  the  Americans,  who  captured  there  nine  pieces  of  brass  can 
non,  two  hundred  and  fifty  muskets,  and  other  arms  and  ammunition, 
a  general,  a  colonel,  a  captain,  and  other  officejrs.  Captain  Fremont 
left  a  party  of  fourteen  men  here  as  a  garrison,  and  repaired  to  the 
Rio  de  los  Americanos  to  obtain  aid  from  the  American  settlers.  An 


448  FLIGHT   OF    CASTRO. 

express  came  after  him  from  Sonoma,  with  information  of  the  ap 
proach  of  a  large  force  under  General  Castro.  He  therefore  set  out 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  23d  of  June,  with  a  force  of  ninety  mounted 
men,  armed  with  rifles,  and  travelled  day  and  night.  H«"  reached 
Sonoma,  after  marching  eighty  miles,  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  25th.  A  squadron  of  seventy  dragoons,  under  De  la  Torre, 
the  vanguard  of  Castro's  force,  crossed  the  bay,  and  was  attacked 
and  defeated  by  a  party  of  twenty  Americans,  with  the  loss  of  two  men 
killed  and  several  wounded.  Two  of  Captain  Fremont's  men  going 
on  an  express  were  taken  by  De  la  Torre,  and  cut  to  pieces  alive 
with  knives.  The  Americans  retaliated,  by  instantly  shooting  three 
of  the  party  of  De  la  Torre,  whom  they  captured.  Having  cleared 
the  north  side  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  of  the  enemy,  Captain 
Fremont  called  the  Americans  together  at  Sonoma,  addressed  them 
upon  the  dangers  of  their  situation,  and  recommended  as  their  only 
means  of  safety,  a  declaration  of  independence  and  war  upon  Cas 
tro  and  his  troops..  The  independence  was  proclaimed  immediately, 
July  4th,  1846,  and  the  war  followed.  A  few  days  afterwards,  they 
heard  of  the  taking  of  Monterey  by  Commodore  Sloat,  and  the  ex 
istence  of  the  war ;  the  American  flag  was  promptly  substituted  for 
that  of  the  Californian  revolutionists.  Castro  fled  south  at  the  head 
of  four  or  five  hundred  men,  and  Captain  Fremont,  leaving  some 
fifty  men  in  garrisons,  pursued  him  with  a  hundred  and  sixty  rifle 
men.  It  was  at  this  stage  of  his  proceedings  that  he  met  Mr.  Faunt- 
leroy,  and  received  Commodore  Sloat's  request  that  he  would  come 
to  Monterey. 

Commodore  Stockton  had  arrived  at  that  place  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  15th  of  July,  1846,  and  reported  for  duty  to  Commodore  Sloat, 
who  soon  afterwards  resigned  the  chief  command  to  him,  and  sailed 
for  home,  to  recruit  his  health,  which  had  been  enfeebled  by  arduous 
services.  He  arrived  at  the  seat  of  government  in  November,  1846, 
having  come  by  the  way  of  Panama.  "This  gallant  and  meritorious 
officer"  was  Highly  applauded  for  his  course  by  the  department, 
having  observed  the  line  of  conduct  prescribed  by  his  instructions 
"with  such  intelligence  and  fidelity,  that  no  complaint  has  ever  been 
made  of  any  unauthorized  aggression  on  his  part." 

It  has  been  matter  of  poignant  regret  to  the  gallant  officers  and 
men  of  our  navy,  that  while  the  army  has  been  gaining  such  numerous 
and  imperishable  laurels  in  the  recent  war,  so  few  opportunities  have 
been  afforded  for  assailing  the  enemy  by  ships  and  steamers.  Where- 
ever  there  has  been  ^n  opportunity  for  gaining  distinction,  and  sig 
nalizing  the  honour  of  our  naval  flag,  it  has  always  been  eagerly 
embraced ;  and  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel  of  this  California  affair, 


PURSUIT   OF   CASTRO. 


449 


that  the  sailors  and  their  officers  performed  a  very  distinguished  part 
in  the  drama  of  the  conquest. 

N  the  day  after  taking 
command,  Commo 
dore  Stockton  or 
ganized  the  "  Cali 
fornia  battalion  of 
mounted  riflemen," 
by  appointing  all 
the  necessary  offi 
cers  and  receiving  them  as  volunteers  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  Captain  Fre 
mont  was  appointed  major,  and  Lieutenant  GiV 
lespie,  captain  of  the  battalion.  Major  Fremont  sailed  with  his  bat 
talion,  in  the  United  States  ship  Cyane,  for  San  Diego,  in  the  hope 
of  getting  between  the  Colorado  and  General  Castro,  and  cutting  off 
his  retreat.  He  arrived  at  San  Diego  on  the  29th  of  July,  but  was 
detained  there  by  the  difficulty  of  finding  horses,  the  Californians 
having  driven  off  nearly  all  their  animals.  Major  Fremont  was  not 
able  to  move  until  the  8th  of  August,  when  he  started  in  pursuit  of 
Castro.  Commodore  Stockton  meanwhile  had  sailed  to  San  Pedro, 
where  he  landed  about  three  hundred  and  sixty  men  from  the  frigate 
Congress,  and  commenced  a  march  towards  the  "  camp  of  the  Mesa," 
a  fortified  position  held  by  General  Castro,  three  miles  from  Cuidad 
de  los  Angeles,  the  City  of  the  Angels,  and  the  capital  of  the  Calv 
fornias.  When  the  gallant  sailor-army  had  arrived  within  twelve 
miles  of  the  camp  of  the  Meza,  General  Castro  abandoned  it  and  fled. 
His  force  separated  into  small  parties,  and  ran  away  in  all  directions. 
Major  Fremont  joined  the  commodore  on  the  13th  of  August,  with 
eighty  mounted  riflemen,  and  the  united  forces  entered  the  City  of 
the  Angels,  and  took  possession  of  the  government  house.  On  the 
16th,  Major  Fremont  again  set  off  in  pursuit  of  Castro,  but  it  was 
soon  found  that  the  patriot  chieftain  had  made  good  his  escape 
towards  the  city  of  Mexico.  Most  of  his  officers,  however,  were  cap 
tured  and  brought  to  the  City  of  the  Angels,  where  Commodore 
Stockton  had  been  busy  in  posting  a  proclamation  and  establishing  a 
civil  government. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  elections  were  ordered  to  be  held  on  the 
1 5th  of  September,  when  Walter  Colton,  the  chaplain  of  the  frigate 
Congress,  was  chosen  alcalde  of  Monterey.  He  had  already 
established  a  newspaper  there,  called  the  Californian,  which  had 
been  preceded  by  the  publication  at  Yerba  Buena  of  the  California 
Star. 

2r2  57 


450        GALLANTRY   OF  LIEUTENANT   TALBOT. 

HE  despatch  of  Commodore  Stockton  to  the 
navy  department,  on  the  28th  of  August, 
1846,  says : — *c  I  have  now  the  honour  to 
inform  you  that  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
is  flying  from  every  commanding  position 
in  the  territory  of  California,  and  that  this 
rich  and  beautiful  country  belongs  to  the 
United  States,  and  is  for  ever  free  from 
Mexican  dominion."  The  gallant  commo 
dore,  however,  announced  the  conquest 
somewhat  in  advance.  Difficulties  were  yet 
to  be  encountered,  and  exploits  achieved  before  the  country  would 
be  quietly  in  possession  of  its  new  masters.  Commodore  Stockton 
directed  Major  Fremont  to  increase  his  force  to  three  hundred  men, 
and  to  station  fifty  at  the  City  of  the  Angels,  under  Captain  Gillespie, 
fifty  at  Monterey,  fifty  at  San  Francisco,  twenty-five  at  Santa  Barbara, 
and  to  keep  the  others  together  for  service,  wherever  they  might  be 
required,  that  the  commodore  might  himself  be  able  to  "  leave  the 
desk  and  the  camp,  and  take  to  the  ship  and  to  the  sea."  He  then 
embarked  for  San  Francisco,  and  Major  Fremont,  making  a  tempo 
rary  distribution  of  his  forces,  set  out  to  recruit  his  strength,  accord 
ing  to  the  commodore's  order.  He  took  but  forty  men  with  him, 
and  nine  of  these,  with  the  boyish  Lieutenant  Talbot,  (the  Colonel 
Croghan  of  the  Mexican  war.)  he  left  at  Santa  Barbara. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  the  City  of  the  Angels  was  invested  by 
an  army  of  Californians,  whose  overwhelming  numbers  caused  Cap 
tain  Gillespie  to  surrender  that  place.  He  returned  with  his  thirty 
riflemen  to  San  Pedro,  and  there  embarked  for  Monterey.  The  Cali- 
fornian  chief,  Manuel  Gaspar,  then  led  two  hundred  of  his  men  against 
Santa  Barbara,  where  they  were  braved  by  Lieutenant  Talbot  and  his 
insignificant  force  for  ten  days.  This  youthful  commander,  who  had 
won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  Colonel  Fremont,  in  his  former 
expeditions,  now  proved  himself  worthy  of  holding  the  post  of  danger. 
He  held  the  town  until  he  was  completely  besieged,  and  then  refus 
ing  to  surrender,  forced  his  way  through  the  enemy  to  the  mountains 
in  the  vicinity,  where  he  remained  eight  days,  suffering  from  cold  and 
hunger.  The  enemy  made  several  attempts  to  induce  him  to  sur 
render,  which  he  rejected.  One  detachment  of  forty  men  advanced 
to  take  him,  but  was  driven  back.  They  then  offered  to  permit  him 
to  retire  if  he  would  promise  neutrality  during  the  war,  but  he  told 
them  that  he  preferred  to  fight.  At  length  finding  that  neither 
force  nor  persuasion  would  cause  him  to  leave  his  position,  they  set 
fire  to  the  grass  and  brush  around  him  and  burned  him  out.  He  then 


BATTLE    OF   SAN   PASQUAL.  451 

retreated  with  his  nine  men  to  Monterey,  five  hundred  miles,  mostly 
on  foot.  The  brave  fellows  were  welcomed  as  from  the  grave,  the 
fears  of  their  companions  that  they  were  slain  having  been  confirmed 
by  a  report  of  the  Californians  to  that  effect.  Colonel  Fremont  had 
made  an  attempt  to  go  from  San  Francisco  to  the  relief  of  Captain 
Gillespie,  but  after  being  at  sea  twenty-nine  days,  he  was  compelled 
to  put  back  to  Monterey  by  bad  weather.  A  day  or  two  after  the 
arrival  of  Lieutenant  Talbot,  a  party  of  fifty-seven  Americans,  under 
Captains  Burrows  and  Thompson,  were  attacked  by  the  Californians, 
eighty  in  number.  Captain  Burrows  and  three  Americans  were 
slain.  Three  of  the  enemy  also  fell,  but  they  kept  the  Americans 
shut  up  at  the  mission  of  St.  Johns,  until  Major  Fremont  marched 
to  their  assistance.  The  whole  party  left  St.  Johns  on  the  26th  of 
November,  and  arrived  at  San  Fernando  on  the  llth  of  January. 

While  these  events  were  passing  in  California,  General  Kearny 
was  on  his  march  thither  from  Santa  Fe.  On  the  6th  of  October, 
he  met  Carson,  with  fifteen  men,  coming  as  an  express  from  the  City 
of  the  Angels,  with  an  account  of  the  conquest  of  that  country  by 
Fremont  and  Stockton.  With  the  devotion  to  the  public  service  for 
which  he  has  always  been  characterized,  he  complied  with  the  re 
quest  of  General  Kearny  to  allow  some  one  else  to  take  his  de- 
patches  to  Washington,  and,  giving  up  his  hopes  of  seeing  his  family, 
he  turned  his  face  again  towards  the  Pacific  as  a  guide.  General 
Kearny  then  sent  back  a  part  of  his  forces  and  continued  his  march 
with  one  hundred  men,  well  equipped.  On  the  15th  of  October,  they 
left  the  Rio  Grande,  and  commenced  the  march  across  the  mountains. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  they  were  met  by  a  small  party  of  volun 
teers,  under  Captain  Gillespie,  who  had  come  from  San  Diego  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  them  information  concerning  the  state  of  the 
country.  Captain  Gillespie  informed  them  that  there  was  an  armed 
party  of  Californians,  with  a  number  of  extra  horses,  encamped  at 
San  Pasqual,  three  leagues  distant.  General  Kearny  determined  to 
march  upon  them,  in  the  double  hope  of  gaining  a  victory  and  a  re 
mount  for  his  poor  soldiers,  who  had  completely  worn  out  their 
animals  in  the  march  from  Santa  Fe,  one  thousand  and  fifty  miles. 
Captain  Johnston  led  the  advanced  guard  of  twelve  dragoons,  mounted 
on  the  best  horses  in  the  company,  then  came  twenty  volunteers, 
under  Captains  Gibson  and  Gillespie,  and  in  the  rear  two  mountain 
howitzers,  with  dragoons  to  manage  them,  mounted  on  sorry  mules. 
The  rest  of  the  army  were  ordered  to  follow  on  the  trail  of  this  de 
tachment  with  the  baggage.  At  daybreak  on  the  6th  of  December, 
they  encountered  the  enemy,  who  was  already  in  the  saddle.  Cap 
tain  Johnston  made  a  furious  charge  upon  them,  with  the  advance 


452 


BATTLE    OF    SAN    PASQUAL, 


Battle  of  San  PasquaL 

guard,  and  was  well  supported  by  the  dragoons.  He  fell  almost  in 
the  very  beginning  of  the  fight,  but  the  action  did  not  flag,  and  the 
enemy  were  forced  to  retreat.  Captain  Moore  led  off  rapidly  in  pur 
suit,  but  the  mules  of  the  dragoons  could  not  keep  up  with  his  horses, 
and  the  enemy  seeing  the  break  in  the  line  renewed  the  fight,  and 
charged  with  the  lance.  They  fought  well,  and  their  superiority  of 
numbers  had  well  nigh  proved  fatal  to  the  little  band ;  but  the  dra 
goons  came  up  and  they  finally  fled  from  the  field,  carrying  off 
most  of  their  dead  with  them.  They  had  kept  up  a  constant  fire  in 
the  first  part  of  the  fight,  and  used  their  lances  with  great  dexterity 
at  its  close,  and  the  American  loss  was  heavy.  Captain  Johnston, 
Captain  Moore,  Lieutenant  Hammond,  two  Serjeants,  two  corporals, 
eleven  privates,  and  a  man  attached  to  the  topographical  department 
were  slain.  General  Kearny  was  wounded  in  two  places,  Captain 
Gillespie  had  three  wounds,  Lieutenant  Warner,  of  the  topographical 
engineers,  three,  and  Captain  Gibson  and  eleven  others  were  also 
wounded,  most  of  them  having  from  two  to  ten  wounds  from  lances. 
The  howitzers  were  not  brought  into  action  until  near  its  close,  when 
the  mules  attached  to  one  of  them  got  alarmed,  broke  from  their 
drivers,  and  ran  away  with  it,  directly  into  the  enemy's  lines.  The 
severe  wounds  of  the  soldiers  caused  a  halt  in  the  march  until  the 
10th  of  December,  when  the  march  was  resumed,  and  on  the  12th 
the  army  reached  San  Diegs. 


BATTLE  OF  SAN  GABRIEL.  463 

Commodore  Stockton  had  sent  down  the  frigate  Savannah,  as  soon 
as  he  heard  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Californians,  to  relieve  Captain 
Gillespie,  but  she  arrived  too  late.  The  crew,  numbering  three  hun 
dred  and  twenty  men,  landed  and  marched  towards  the  City  of  the 
Angels.  Half  way  between  the  San  Pedro  and  Los  Angeles,  and 
fifteen  miles  from  the  ship,  they  met  the  Californians  in  numbers, 
well  appointed,  with  fine  horses  and  artillery.  The  gallant  sailors 
maintained  an  action  for  some  time  with  their  small  arms,  on  foot, 
but  it  was  useless  to  fly  at  such  a  disadvantage,  and  they  finally  re 
tired,  having  lost  eleven  in  killed  and  wounded.  Captain  Stockton 
came  down  himself  to  San  Pedro  in  the  Congress,  .and  marched  upon 
Los  Angeles  with  a  sailor-army,  which  profited  by  previous  errors, 
and  took  some  of  the  ship's  cannons  with  them.  These  they  dragged 
by  hand  with  ropes.  At  the  Rancho  Sepulvida  they  met  a  large 
force  of  the  enemy,  which  Captain  Stockton  decoyed,  by  a  stratagem, 
into  a  position  near  to  his  main  body,  formed  into  a  triangle,  with 
the  guns  hidden  by  the  men.  As  soon  as  they  were  in  a  proper 
place,  he  extended  his  wings,  and  opened  upon  them  with  the  artil 
lery.  More  than  a  hundred  were  killed,  a  still  larger  number 
wounded,  a  hundred  taken  prisoners,  and  the  whole  army  put  to 
flight  in  disorder.  Mounted  on  horses,  while  the  sailors  were  on 
foot,  the  enemy  had  had,  hitherto,  the  advantage  of  choosing  his  own 
time,  place,  and  distance  of  attack,  but  the  means  of  transportation 
were  placed,  by  this  victory,  in  the  hands  of  the  sailors  themselves, 
and  as  soon  as  they  could  thus  meet  the  enemy,  they  commenced  a 
series  of  skirmishes,  in  which  they  displayed  the  utmost  courage  and 
activity. 

HE  arrival  of  General  Kearny  at  San 
Diego,  was  opportune ;  and  Commodore 
Stockton  and  he  now  laid  a  plan  for 
putting  an  end  to  the  war.  On  the 
29th  of  December,  the  little  army,  com 
posed  of  sixty  dismounted  dragoons, 
fifty  California  volunteers,  and  about 
four  hundred  marines  and  sailors,  started 
from  San  Diego  to  march  to  Los  Angeles.  They  had  proceeded  a 
hundred  and  ten  miles  to  the  Rio  San  Gabriel,  when  they  met  the 
enemy  in  a  strong  position,  with  six  hundred  mounted,  men  and  four 
pieces  of  artillery,  prepared  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  nver. 
January  8,  1847,  the  necessary  preparations  for  a  battle  having  been 
made,  the  Americans  waded  through  the  water  under  a  galling  fire, 
dragging  their  guns  after  them,  and  reserving  their  fire  until  they 
reached  the  opposite  bank.  Here  they  repelled  a  charge  of  the 


454 


BATTLE    OF    SAN    GABRIEL. 


Battle  of  San  Gabriel. 

enemy,  and  then  charged  up  the  bank  in  the  most  gallant  manner, 
and  succeeded,  after  fighting  an  hour  and  a  half,  in  driving  the 
enemy  from  the  field.  The  Americans  encamped  there  over  night, 
and  on  the  next  morning  resumed  their  march.  On  the  plains  of 
the  Mesa  the  enemy  made  another  effort  to  save  their  capital.  They 
were  concealed  in  a  ravine,  with  their  artillery,  until  the  Americans 
came  almost  within  gunshot,  when  they  opened  a  brisk  fire  with  their 
field-pieces  upon  the  right  flank,  and  at  the  same  time  charged  both 
on  the  front  and  rear.  They  fell  back  as  the  Americans  advanced, 
and  finally  retired,  after  concentrating  their  forces,  and  making  one 
more  charge  on  the  left  flank.  In  the  afternoon  the  army  reached 
the  banks  of  the  Mesa,  and  encamped  three  miles  below  Los  Angeles. 
On  the  10th  they  entered  the  city  without  opposition.  The  loss  in 
these  two  battles  was  very  slight,  one  private  being  killed,  and  Cap 
tain  Gillespie,  Lieutenant  Rowand,  of  the  navy,  and  eleven  privates 
wounded.  The  enemy  carried  off  their  dead  and  wounded,  so  that 
the  extent  of  their  loss  is  unknown.  General  Kearny  says  that  it 
must  have  been  considerable,  and  Commodore  Stockton  estimates  it 
at  between  seventy  and  eighty. 

Two  or  three  days  previously  to  the  battle  of  the  8th  of  January, 
Jose  Maria  Flores,  the  commander  of  the  Californians,  had  sent  two 
commissioners  to  Captain  Stockton,  with  proposals  for  making  a 
treaty  of  peace.  The  commodore  replied  that  he  could  not  recog 
nize  Flores,  who  had  broken  his  parole,  as  an  honourable  man,  or  as 
one  having  any  rightful  authority,  or  worthy  to  be  treated  with ;  that 
he  was  a  rebel  in  arms,  and  that  if  lie  caught  him  he  would  have  him 


DISPUTE    BETWEEN    KEARNY    AND    STOCKTON.    455 

shot.  After  losing  the  battles  of  the  8th  and  9th,  they  met  Colonel 
Fremont  on  his  way  to  Cuidad  de  los  Angeles.  Jose  Maria  Flores  had 
fled,  leaving  the  command  to  Don  Andres  Pico,  who  made  proposi 
tions  of  surrendering  his  forces  to  Colonel  Fremont,  which  the  latter, 
being  ignorant  of  the  occurrences  of  the  few  days  previous,  agreed 
to  accept.  The  articles  of  capitulation  were  signed  on  the  13th  of 
January.  The  terms  did  not  treat  the  Californians  either  as  rebels  or 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  did  not  exact  oaths  of  allegiance 
until  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace  should  be  made  between  Mexico  and 
the  United  States.  Present  obedience  to  the  American  authorities 
was  required,  and  the  occurrences  of  the  past  were  forgotten.  Com 
modore  Stockton  approved  of  this  agreement,  though  he  was  sorry  to 
have  lost  the  opportunity  of  punishing  the  officers  for  betaking  theL* 
parole.  The  territory  again  became  quiet. 

Colonel  Fremont  joined  the  forces  of  Kearny  and  Stockton  ct  Los 
Angeles  on  the  15th.     Here  the  misunderstanding  arose  bei*ve^fc 
General  Kearny  and  Commodore  Stockton,  as  to  their  relative  pry  • 
rogatives,  which,  in  the  end,  lost  to  the  country  the  valuable  service 
of  one  of  the  most  talented  and  enterprising  of  her  military  officerv 
Commodore   Stockton  had  be'en  deeply  impressed  with  the  bravery 
activity,  and  zeal  displayed  by  Colonel  Fremont  in  the  conquest  o( 
the  country.     Without  men  or  money,  he  had  succeeded,  by  his  un 
tiring  personal  efforts,  in  raising  from  the  widely  scattered  little  set 
tlements  a  force  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  well  mounted,  and 
supplied  with  every  equipment  of  war.    They  formed  one  of  the  most 
curious  collections  of  men  ever  found  in  one  army.     There  were 
representatives  from  almost  every  nation  of  the  civilized  world,  and 
Indians  from  many  different  tribes  of  North  America,  all  speaking 
different  tongues ;  yet  he  had  succeeded  in  disciplining  them  into  a 
very  efficient  corps,  and  had  led  them  with  constant  success  wherever 
they  were  needed,  although  he  had  always  a  force  of  Californians 
hovering  around  his  flanks,  watching  lo  take  advantage  of  the  first 
false  move,  or  the  least  decline  of  vigilance. 

In  return  for  his  services,  before  leaving  the  coast,  Commodore 
Stockton  appointed  him  governor  of  California. 

In  January,  1847,  Commodore  Shubrick  arrived  at  Monterey,  and 
assumed  the  command  of  the  naval  forces  on  that  station.  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Cooke  joined  General  Kearny  at  San  Diego  with  the 
the  Mormon  battalion,  in  fine  order,  good  health,  and  high  spirits. 
They  were  posted  at  the  mission  of  San  Luis  Rey,  to  prevent  any  re 
inforcements  of  troops  entering  California  from  the  department  of 
Sonora.  General  Kearny  sailed  to  Monterey.  Captain  Tompkins 
arrived  early  in  February,  with  his  company  of  United  States  artil- 


ATTACK   ON    THE    GARRISONS 


Presidio  of  San  Francisco.    Encampment  of  the  New  York  Volunteers. 

lery,  and  was  stationed  at  Monterey,  and  on  the  6th  of  March,  Colo 
nel  Stevenson  arrived,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  New  York 
California  volunteers  at  San  Francisco.  The  remainder  of  his  regi 
ment  arrived  soon  after.  He  was  soon  afterwards  ordered  to  occupy 
Monterey  with  four  companies,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burton,  with 
three  companies,  took  post  at  Santa  Barbara.  The  emigrants  who 
had  formed  the  California  battalion  were  discharged,  and  began  to 
establish  themselves.  New  settlements  were  made  in  all  directions. 
On  the  16th  of  July,  1847,  the  time  of  service  of  the  Mormon  batta 
lion  expired,  when  the  military  force  of  the  country  consisted  of 
Colonel  Stevenson's  regiment,  one  company  of  dragoons,  and  one 
of  light  artillery.  This  army,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  navy,  has 
proved  amply  sufficient  to  preserve  order  in  the  country,  from  which 
the  most  cheering  accounts  are  continually  arriving.  The  last  act 
of  General  Kearny  was  to  order  Lieutenant- Colonel  Burton  to  sail  to 
La  Paz,  in  Lower  California,  and  take  possession  of  that  country. 
The  occupation  of  the  province  was  made  without  much  difficulty, 
but  when  the  fleet  left  the  Gulf  of  California,  to  avoid  the  severity 
of  the  winter  months,  the  people  rose  upon  the  several  garrisons, 
and  a  number  of  minor  battles  and  sieges  occurred,  the  particulars 
of  which  have  not  been  received  in  any  authentic  form.  The  Ame 
ricans  generally  maintained  their  positions,  and  in  defending  them 
evinced  a  high-toned  bravery  and  determination  which  would  have 


INSTRUCTIONS   TO   KEARNY.  457 

won  for  them  unfading  laurels  on  a  more  extensive  field.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Burton  gained  a  brilliant  victory  at  La  Paz,  over  three  hun 
dred  of  the  enemy,  killing  and  wounding  fifty  of  their  number,  with 
the  loss  of  only  three  men.  The  defence  of  San  Jose,  the  most 
southern  port  of  California,  was  very  creditable.  Some  thirty  sailor- 
soldiers,  and  twenty  California  volunteers,  under  Lieutenant  Hey- 
wood,  having  been  surrounded  and  besieged  for  thirty  days  by  nearly 
four  hundred  of  the  enemy,  they  maintained  their  post,  despite  of 
thirst  and  famine,  and  the  vigorous  assaults  of  the  Californians,  until 
they  were  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  the  United  States  ship  Cyane, 
the  crew  of  which  landed  and  put  the  enemy  to  flight.  A  series  of 
small  fights  and  skirmishes  also  took  place  on  the  Pacific  coast  of 
Mexico.  The  town  of  Guaymas  was  bombarded  in  October,  1847, 
by  the  Congress  and  the  Portsmouth,  the  garrison,  of  eight  hun 
dred  men,  driven  out,  and  the  town  taken.  Commander  Selfridge, 
of  the  United  States  sloop  Dale,  landed  near  Sinaloa,  with  eighty- 
eight  men,  and  routed  a  force  of  four  hundred  of  the  enemy,  killing 
and  wounding  forty  of  their  number. 

In  February,  1847,  General  Kearny  had  received  instructions, 
issued  from  the  war  department  in  the  preceding  year,  and,  in  con 
sequence,  assumed  the  direction  of  operations  on  the  land,  and  the 
administrative  functions  of  government  over  the  people  and  territory 
of  California.  A  proclamation  announcing  this  fact  was  issued  by 
him  and  Commodore  Shubrick,  on  the  1st  of  March,  1847.  As  soon 
as  Colonel  Fremont  was  apprized  of  this  action,  he  started,  on  the 
21st  of  March,  from  Los  Angeles,  attended  by  a  coloured  man  and 
two  Californian  gentlemen,  Don  Andres  Pico,  and  his  brother,  Don 
Jesus  Pico.  Both  of  these  owed  their  lives  to  Colonel  Fremont ;  he 
having  granted  that  of  the  first  in  the  capitulation  of  the  13th  of  Janu 
ary,  and  pardoned  the  other,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  wife  and  chil 
dren,  and  friends,  when  he  was  taken  and  condemned  to  death,  in 
December,  1846,  for  having  broken  his  parole.* 

*  The  scene  between  the  colonel  and  the  friends  of  the  criminal,  is  described  as 
extremely  affecting.  His  heart  had  nothing  in  it  which  could  withstand  the  accents  of 
grief,  and  the  outpourings  of  joy  and  gratitude  when  he  pronounced  the  words  of  pardon, 
almost  equally  overpowered  him.  Don  Jesus  had  been  calm,  composed,  and  quiet,  while 
undergoing  his  trial  and  sentence,  but  when  he  was  told  of  his  restoration  to  life  and 
liberty,  his  ardent  feelings  burst  through  his  natural  reserve ;  he  threw  himself  at  the 
colonel's  feet,  swore  eternal  fidelity  to  him,  and  demanded  the  privilege  of  going  with 
him  and  dying  for  him.  Colonel  Fremont  had  much  difficulty  in  reconciling  his  own 
men  to  the  release  of  the  prisoner,  but  the  faithfulness  of  Don  Jesus  to  his  preserver  and 
the  Americans,  and  the  quiet  which  has  since  reigned  in  the  country,  prove  that,  in 
obeying  the  dictates  of  mercy  and  humanity,  Colonel  Fremont  followed  a  course  which 
the  ablest  policy  would  have  dictated.  The  words  of  pardon  were  given  by  Fremont 
himself,  a  circumstance  which  heightened  the  interest  of  the  scene,  and  contributed  in  no 
little  degree  to  strengthen  the  subsequent  friendship  between  the  two  chieftains. 

2Q  58 


458 


FREMONT   COURT-MARTIALLED. 


HE  ride  of  Colonel  Fre 
mont  to  Monterey  and 
return  to  Los  Angeles,  a 
journey  of  more  than  eight 
hundred  miles,  was  per 
formed  in  eight  days,  in 
cluding  two  days'  deten 
tion,  .  and  all  stoppages. 
Their  speed  was  at  the 
rate  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  daily, 
showing  the  extraordinary 
powers  of  the  Californian  horses. 

Colonel  Fremont,  when  informed  of  the  commission  from  the  go 
vernment  as  commander-in-chief,  and  of  the  orders  with  which 
General  Kearny  arrived  in  California,  declined  to  obey  his  military 
orders,  and  continued  to  act  as  "  governor  and  commander-in-chief 
of  California,"  under  the  appointment  of  Commodore  Stockton,  on 
the  ground  that  the  authority  conferred  on  General  Kearny  had  be 
come  obsolete  by  the  force  of  events,  not  looked  to  by  the  govern 
ment  as  to  happen  until  after  the  arrival  of  General  Kearny  in  the 
territory.  The  principal  of  these  was  the  conquest  of  California, 
which,  he  alleged,  had  been  achieved  by  Commodore  Stockton  and 
himself,  before  the  arrival  of  General  Kearny  and  the  troops  under 
his  command.  At  the  end  of  May,  General  Kearny  left  the  country 
to  return  home,  having  appointed  Colonel  Mason  governor  of  Cali 
fornia.  Colonel  Fremont  accompanied  him,  bringing  back  his  ori 
ginal  engineering  party.  They  reached  Fort  Leavenworth  in  sixty- 
six  days,  their  march  for  the  last  fifty-seven  days  averaging  thirty-one 
miles  daily.  At  Fort  Leavenworth,  formal  charges  (of  mutiny,  dis 
obedience  of  lawful  commands  of  his  superior  officer,  and  conduct  to 
the  prejudice  of  good  order  and  military  discipline)  were  preferred 
by  General  Kearny  against  Colonel  Fremont,  who  asked  for  a  speedy 
trial.  He  was  subsequently  tried  in  Washington,  before  a  court-mar 
tial,  which  found  him  guilty  of  all  the  charges.  With  reference  to  the 
peculiar  circumstances  in  which  he  had  been  placed,  "  between  two 
officers  of  superior  rank,  each  claiming  to  command-in-chief  in  Cali 
fornia,  circumstances  in  their  nature  calculated  to  embarrass  the  mind 
and  excite  the  doubts  of  officers  of  greater  experience  than  the  ac 
cused,  and  in  consideration  of  the  important  professional  services  ren 
dered  by  him  previous  to  the  occurrence  of  the  acts  for  which  he  was 
tried,"  the  officers  of  the  court  recommended  him  to  executive  cle 
mency.  The  president  was  of  opinion  that  the  charge  of  mutiny  was 


MURDER    OF    GOVERNOR   BENT.  459 

not  sustained,  but  approved  the  sentence  of  the  court,  which  was  "  dis 
missal  from  the  service,"  on  the  ground  of  the  accused  being  guilty 
of  the  other  two  charges.     He  however  remitted  the  sentence,  and 
directed  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fremont  to  be  released  from  arrest  and 
report  for  duty.    He  was  ordered  to  join  the  rifle  regiment,  of  which 
he  held  his  commission  as  lieutenant-colonel,  in  Mexico,  but  he  was 
not  conscious  of  having  done  any  thing  to  merit  the  finding  of  the 
court  against  him,  and  he  would  not  seem  to  admit  its  justice  by  ac 
cepting  executive  clemency.     He  therefore  resigned  his  commission. 
Soon  after  the  departure  of  Colonel  Doniphan  for  Chihuahua,  an 
insurrection  broke  out  in  the  northern  part  of  New  Mexico,  which 
appeared  to  have  for  its  object  the  massacre  of  all  American  resi 
dents,  and  such  of  the  Mexicans  as  had  taken  office  under  the  govern 
ment  established  by  General  Kearny.    A  conspiracy  was  first  formed 
under  a  number  of  prominent  Mexicans,  headed  by  Thomas  Ortiz 
and  Diego  Archaleta.     The  postponement  of  their  scheme  from  the 
time  first  fixed  for  its  accomplishment  led  to  its  discovery,  and  its 
leaders  fled.     Their   doctrines,  however,  continued  to  be  dissemi 
nated   among  the  people,  and  gave  anxiety  to  the  authorities.     Go 
vernor  Bent  issued  an  ably  written  proclamation  on  the  5th  of  Janu 
ary,  calculated  to  do   away  with  the  false  impressions  which  had 
been  made  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  by  their  infatuated  leaders, 
and  exhorting  them  to   remain  quiet  and  enjoy  the  protection  and 
security  offered  them.     This  paper  seemed  to  have  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  confiding  in  the  apparent  tranquillity,  the  governor  went 
to  Taos,  unattended,  on  some  private  business.     On  the  19th  of 
January,  a  party  of  Pueblo  Indians  came  to  the  village,  demanding 
the  release  of  two  of  their  comrades,  who  were  confined  in  prison  for 
crime.     Stephen  L.  Lee,  the  sheriff,  was  about  to  give  them  up,  when 
Vigil,  the  Mexican  prefect,  forebade  it.     The  Indians  then  killed 
both  Vigil  and  Lee,  and  released  the  prisoners.     Then  being  joined 
by  the  Mexicans,  they  marched  towards  the  house  of  Governor  Bent, 
but  being  informed  of  their  approach,  he  rose  from  his  bed,  dressed 
himself,  and  seized  his  pistols.     A  woman  in  the  house  advised  him 
to  fight,  but  he  said  it  was  useless  to  oppose  such  a  crowd  of  savages, 
and  he  would  endeavour  to  get  assistance  or  escape.     There  was  a 
window  opening  from  his  house  into  that  of  another,  through  which 
he  was  passing,  when  he  received  two  arrows  from  the  Indians,  who 
had   covered  the  house-tops.     He  made  his  way  to  the  door  and 
asked  assistance  from  some  of  the  persons  present,  but  they  refused 
to  aid  him,  telling  him  he  must  die.     The  Indians  by  this  time  had 
obtained  an  entrance  into  the  house,  and  they  shot  him  through  the 
body  and  killed  him.     One  Tomas  then  took  the  governor's  pistol 


460 


INDIAN    ATROCITIES. 

li 


Indian  Atrocities  in  New  Mexico. 

and  shot  him  in  the  face.  They  then  scalped  him,  stretched  his  body 
on  a  board  with  brass  nails,  and  paraded  it  through  the  streets.  The 
district  attorney,  Mr.  Leal,  they  treated  in  a  more  brutal  manner, 
scalping  him  alive,  and  killing  him  by  shooting  arrows  into  his  body 
a  little  way  at  a  time.  Two  others  fell  victims  to  their  barbarity. 
They  then  sent  messengers  all  over  the  country,  informing  the  people 
that  a  blow  had  been  struck,  and  inviting  their  aid  in  prosecuting 
the  revolt.  On  the  same  day,  several  Americans  were  murdered  at 
the  Arroyo  Honda,  and  two  others  on  the  Rio  Colorado.* 

Colonel  Price  heard  of  these  events  on  the  20th  of  January, 
and  at  the  same  time  learned  that  the  insurgents  had  collected 
an  army  and  were  advancing  to  fight  him.  He  prepared  an  expedi 
tion  against  them,  and  met  them  on  the  24th  of  January,  with  a 
force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-three  rank  and  file,  and  four  howit 
zers.  The  Mexicans  were  about  fifteen  hundred  strong,  in  the 
valley  bordering  the  Rio  del  Norte,  in  possession  of  the  heights 

*  These  atrocities  are  qnly  fair  specimens  of  what  the  Indians  are  constantly  perpe 
trating,  in  the  district  of  San  Luis.  Four  hundred  Mexicans,  including  many  women 
and  children,  have  been  Jdlled  by  them  in  that  district  during  this  war. 


ASSAULT   OF    PUEBLO   DE   TAGS. 


461 


Commanding  the  road  to  Canada.  They  saw  that  the  train  of  Colo 
nel  Price's  command  was  some  distance  in  the  rear,  and  attempted 
to  cut  it  off.  In  this  they  were  foiled,  and  the  battle  was  regularly 
commenced.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  dislodged  from  every  one 
of  their  positions,  and  flying  in  all  directions.  Colonel  Price  lost 
two  killed  and  six  wounded.  The  enemy  left  thirty-six  dead  on  th6 
field,  and  carried  off  their  wounded.  The  enemy  retreated  so  rapidly 
that  they  could  not  be  overtaken.  On  the  29th  of  January,  Colonel 
Price  learned  that  some  sixty  or  eighty  of  them  were  posted  on  the 
gorge  leading  to  Embudo,  and  he  despatched  Captain  Burgwin,  with 
one  hundred  and  eighty  men,  to  fight  them.  The  road  to  be  travelled 
would  not  admit  of  the  passage  of  artillery  or  baggage  wagons. 

APTAIN  BURGWIN  found  them  six  hun 
dred  strong,  posted  on  the  precipitous 
sides  of  the  mountains,  where  the  gorge 
would  only  admit  the  passage  of  three 
men  abreast.  There  could  scarcely  be  a 
better  position  for  defence  than  that  they 
held,  yet  Captain  Burgwin  drove  them 
from  it,  with  the  loss,  on  their  part,  of 
twenty  killed  and  sixty  wounded.  He 
had  only  one  man  killed  and  one  wound 
ed.  He  marched  through  the  pass  and 
entered  Embudo.  From  thence  he 
marched  to  Trampas,  where  he  met  Colo 
nel  Price,  and  the  whole  army  marched  over  the  Taos  mountain,  break 
ing  a  road  through  the  snow  which  covered  it  for  their  artillery.  The 
enemy  were  found  to  have  fortified  Pueblo  de  Taos,  a  place  of  great 
strength,  surrounded  by  adobe  walls  and  strong  pickets,  every  part 
(if  which  were  flanked  by  some  projecting  building.  He  opened  his 
batteries  on  the  town  on  the  3d  of  February,  but  in  a  little  time  re 
tired  to  await  the  concentration  of  his  forces.  On  the  4th,  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  fire  was  again  opened,  and  at  eleven, 
finding  it  was  impossible  to  make  a  breach  in  the  walls  with  the 
howitzers,  the  colonel  determined  to  storm  the  church,  which  was  in 
the  north-western  angle  of  the  town.  Captain  Burgwin  led  the  attack. 
His  party  established  themselves  under  the  western  wall  of  the 
church,  and  attempted  to  breach  it  with  axes,  while  .the  roof  was 
fired  by  the  help  of  a  temporary  ladder.  In  this  emergency,  the  gal 
lant  commander  exposed  himself  fatally  to  the  enemy.  Captain 
Burgwin  left  the  shelter  afforded  by  the  flank  of  the  church,  and  pene 
trating  into  the  corral  in  front  of  that  building,  endeavoured  to  forcf 
the  door. 


462  ASSAULT   OF   PUEBLO   DE    TAGS. 

URGWIN,  in  this  daring  effort,  received  a 
wound  which  caused  his  death  on  the 
7th  February.  Several  other  officers  had 
accompanied  him  to  the  church  door,  but 
they  were  not  able  to  force  it,  and  there 
fore  retired  behind  the  wall;  while  they 
had  been  thus  engaged,  some  small  holes 
had  been  cut  in  the  wall,  and  shells  were  thrown  in  by  hand,  doing 
good  execution.  A  six-pounder  was  now  brought  around  by  Lieu 
tenant  Wilson,  who  poured  a  heavy  fire  of  grape  into  the  town  from 
the  distance  of  six  hundred  yards.  The  enemy  had  maintained  a 
steady  and  heavy  fire  upon  our  troops  during  the  whole  fight.  At 
half  past  three,  ten  rounds  of  grape  were  fired  within  sixty  yards,  into 
the  holes  that  had  been  cut  in  the  church  wall  with  the  axes,  and  a 
practicable  breach  was  thus  made.  The  gun  was  then  run  up  to  ten 
yards'  distance,  a  shell  was  fired,  and  three  more  rounds  of  grape  fol 
lowed.  Lieutenants  Dyer,  Wilson,  and  Taylor  then  entered  and 
took  possession  of  the  church,  feeling  for  the  foe  in  the  smoke  which 
filled  it.  The  capture  of  the  town  was  then  speedily  effected.  Many 
of  the  enemy  endeavoured  to  escape  towards  the  mountains,  but  were 
intercepted  by  Captains  Slack  and  St.  Vrain,  who  killed  fifty-one  of 
them.  They  then  sued  for  peace,  and  to  obtain  it  gave  up  towns,  the 
Indians  who  had  been  concerned  in  the  murder  of  Governor  Bent, 
and  much  of  the  property  of  the  murdered  Americans.  The  people 
of  Moro,  a  town  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  had  risen  on  the 
19th  of  January,  and  massacred  eight  Americans  residing  there. 
Captain  Henley  being  near  the  town  at  the  time,  attempted  to  take 
it,  but  was  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  his  life.  Captain  Morin  rein 
forced  the  assailants,  and  took  and  burned  the  town.  The  Indians 
begged  for  peace,  giving  up  those  who  had  excited  them  to  hostilities. 
The  active  participants  in  the  rebellion  were  tried,  and  many  who 
were  convicted  and  condemned  were  promptly  executed.  For  his 
zeal  and  gallantry  in  these  movements,  Colonel  Price  was  rewarded 
by  promotion  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

The  Camanche,  Anapaho,  and  Kiawa  tribes  of  Indians,  with  others 
inhabiting  the  country  from  Missouri  to  Sante  Fe  and  California,  kept 
up  such  a  series  of  hostilities  and  outrages,  that  it  was  found  neces 
sary  to  send  a  battalion  of  troops  thither,  under  Colonel  Gilpin.  That 
energetic  officer  speedily  succeeded  by  his  judicious  measures  and 
his  great  activity,  in  bringing  the  country  into  quietness  and  order, 
and  the  Sante  Fe  trader  and  the  government  trains  pass  unmolested. 
Many  of  the  Indians  have  fled  to  a  distance  from  the  route,  and  we 
may  reasonably  expect  soon  to  see  this  region  of  country  under 


GOLD   REGIONS   IN   CALIFORNIA.  463 

the  safe  guardianship  of  the  hardy  western  pioneer  and  his  trusty 
rifle.*  ' 

*  The  glowing  accounts  of  California,  published  by  all  who  had  visited  it,  and  of  which 
we  attempted  to  give  some  idea  in  the  first  pages  of  this  chapter,  afforded  ample  ground 
for  the  opinion  that  the  country  would  be  rapidly  filled  up  by  emigrants  from  the  United 
States.  Since  those  pages  were  written,  there  has  been  added  to  the  very  many  advantage* 
of  the  country,  there  enumerated,  one  which  throws  them  all  into  the  shade ;  and  which 
of  itself  would  be  sufficient  in  this  money-getting  age,  to  populate  a  desert.  Scarcely  had 
the  treaty  been  completed  by  which  California  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  when  the 
enterprising,  observant,  inquisitive  Yankee  settlers  discovered  that  the  country  from  the 
Ajuba  to  the  San  Joaquim  rivers,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  and 
from  the  base  towards  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  for  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  Was 
a  mine  of  gold. 

It  is  said  that  gold  mines  were  discovered  in  California  by  the  Jesuits,  about  the  middle 
of  the  last  century.  The  Jesuits  concealed  their  discovery  from  the  government,  and  the 
suspicion  that  they  had  done  so  perhaps  had  something  to  do  with  their  expulsion  from 
Mexico.  In  1769,  Don  Jose  Galvez,  Marquis  of  Sonora,  undertook  an  expedition  into 
California  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  reports  respecting  the  gold  "  in  the  rivers,  in  the 
soil,  and  in  the  rocks."  He  was  accompanied  by  the  celebrated  Don  Miguel  Jose  do 
Arenza,  who,  discouraged  by  the  fruitless  search  of  a  few  weeks,  recommended  the  aban 
donment  of  the  enterprise  ;  and  for  contending  that  the  marquis  was  insane  for  proceed 
ing,  was  thrown  into  prison,  where  he  remained  several  months.  Nothing  at  all  satisfac 
tory,  however,  appears  to  have  resulted  from  the  search  of  Galvez,  though  the  Jesuits 
afterwards  disclosed,  in  Spain  and  France,  that  the  charges  of  discovery  and  concealment, 
made  against  them,  were  true. 

Thus  the  matter  rested  until  the  new  discovery  by  the  Americans  in  the  commencement 
of  the  year  1848,  since  which  time  every  day  has  disclosed  some  new  deposit.  It  has  been 
found  in  large  quantities  on  the  Sacramento,  Feather  river,  Yerba  river,  the  American 
Fork,  north  and  south  branches,  the  Cosamir,  and  in  many  dry  ravines,  and  on  the  tops 
of  high  hills.  On  the  streams  where  the  gold  has  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  water 
and  sand,  it  is  found  in  fine  grains ;  on  the  hills  and  among  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  it  is 
found  in  rough,  jagged  pieces,  of  a  quarter  or  half  an  ounce  in  weight,  and  sometimes  two 
or  three  ounces. 

The  manner  in  which  it  has  hitherto  been  collected  is  extremely  wasteful,  yet  the  yield 
has  been  enormous.  A  variety  of  means  are  used  for  obtaining  it,  a  few  of  which  we  give 
from  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  Walter  Colton,  alcalde  of  Monterey.  "  Some  wash  it  out  of  the 
sand  with  bowls,  some  with  a  machine  like  a  cradle,  only  longer  and  open  at  the  foot, 
while  at  the  other  end,  instead  of  a  squalling  infant,  there  is  a  grating  upon  which  the 
earth  is  thrown,  and  then  water ;  both  pass  through  the  grating,  the  cradle  is  rocked,  and 
being  on  an  inclined  plane,  the  water  carries  off  the  earth,  and  the  gold  is  deposited  in  the 
bottom  of  the  cradle.  So  the  two  things  most  prized  in  this  world — gold  and  infant 
beauty,  are  both  rocked  out  of  then*  primitive  state,  one  to  pamper  pride,  and  the  other  to 
pamper  the  worm.  Some  forego  cradles  and  bowls  as  too  tame  an  occupation,  and, 
counted  on  horses,  half-wild,  dash  up  the  mountain  gorges,  and  over  the  steep  hill,  pick 
ing  the  gold  from  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  with  then*  bowie  knives — d.  much  better  use  to 
make  of  these  instruments  than  picking  the  life  out  of  men's  bodies.  Monterey,  San  Fran 
cisco,  Sonoma,  San  Jose,  and  Santa  Cruz  are  emptied  of  their  male  population.  A 
stranger  coming  there  would  suppose  he  had  arrived  among  a  race  of  women.  But  not 
a  few  of  the  women  have  gone  too,  especially  those  who  had  got  out  of  tea ;  for  what  is 
woman  without  her  tea-pot — a  Pythoness  without  her  shaking  tripod — an  angel  that  has 
lost  his  lyre.  Every  bowl,  tray,  warming-pan,  and  piggin  has  gone  to  the  mines.  Every 
thing,  in  short,  that  has  a  scoop  in  it,  that  will  hold  sand  and  water.  Ail  the  iron  has  been 
worked  up  into  crowbars,  pickaxes,  and  spades.  Over  a  million  of  gold  is  taken  from  the 
mines  every  month ;  and  this  amount  was  expected  to  be  more  than  doubled  when  the 
emigration  from  the  states,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Oregon,  and  the  southern  republics 
should  arrive. 

The  amount  collected  by  each  man  ranges  from  ten  dollars  to  three  hundred  dollars 
daily.  The  publisher  of  "  The  Californian"  newspaper  states  that  on  a  tour  to  the  mining 
district,  with  the  aid  of  a  shovel,  pick,  and  tin  pan,  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  he  collected 
from  forty-four  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars  a  day,  averaging  about  one  hun- 


464  GOLD   REGIONS   IN   CALIFORNIA. 

d red  dollars.  Previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  gold  wages  of  labour  ranged  from  one  to 
three  dollars  per  day  ;  but  the  workingmen  all  became  gold-hunters,  and  common  labour 
could  not  be  had  for  less  than  fifty  cents  per  hour,  while  cafpenters  and  other  mechanics 
refused  the  offer  of  fifteen  dollars  per  day  for  work.  Whalers  and  trading-vessels  coming 
into  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  lost  all  their  crews  by  desertion.  The  volunteer  regiment 
of  U.  S.  soldiers  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  and  all  of  them  went  gold-hunting. 
Much  sickness  prevailed  among  those  engaged  in  the  work,  but  the  number  was  con 
stantly  increasing,  and  at  the  latest  accounts,  large  numbers  were  providing  themselves 
with  an  outfit  for  five  or  six  months,  intending,  as  they  could  not  traverse  the  country  be 
tween  the  settlements  and  the  mines  during  the  rainy  season,  to  spend  that  part  of  the 
year  in  the  gold  region.  Mr.  Larkin,  formerly  U.  S.  consul  at  Monterey,  writes  to  Mr. 
Buchanan,  that  he  passed  two  nights  at  a  tent  occupied  by  eight  Americans, — two  sailors, 
one  clerk,  two  carpenters,  and  three  daily  workmen.  They  were  in  company,  having  two 
machines,  each  made  from  one  hundred  feet  of  boards,  (worth  there  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars,  in  Monterey  fifteen  dollars,  being  one  day's  work,)  made  similar  to  a  child's  cradle, 
ten  feet  long  without  the  ends.  On  two  evenings  he  saw  these  men  bring  to  their  tent 
the  labours  of  the  day.  He  supposes  they  made  each  fifty  dollars  per  day.  Their  own 
calculation  was  two  pounds  of  gold  a  day — four  ounces  to  a  man — sixty-four  dollars. 

The  effect  upon  property  in  San  Francisco  and  Monterey  was  astonishing  to  its  owners. 
Three-fourths  of  the  houses  were  deserted,  and  many  could  be  bought  at  the  price  of  the 
ground  lots.  All  business  ceased,  except  perhaps,  that  of  the  blacksmiths,  whose  forgee 
proved  to  be  placers  in  themselves,  in  consequence  of  the  great  demand  for  shovels,  picks, 
and  similar  articles.  Soldiers,  sailors,  clerks,  alcaldes,  and  justices,  all  abandoned  their  em 
ployment,  and  resorted  to  the  gold  lands.  Mr.  Larkin  states  that  he  saw  there  a  lawyer 
who  was  attorney-general  of  the  king  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  previous  year,  digging 
and  washing  out  his  ounce  and  a-half  a  day,  while  near  him  could  be  found  most  of  his 
l>rethren  of  the  long  robe,  working  in  the  same  occupation. 

Governor  Mason's  despatch  to  the  government  at  Washington,  accompanied  by  very 
valuable  specimens  of  the  gold  obtained  by  this  rude  system  of  mining,  confirms  in  all 
particulars,  the  accounts  received  by  private  letters.  He  states  that  the  entire  gold  district, 
with  the  exception  of  a  very  few  grants  made  by  the  Mexican  authorities,  is  public  land. 
The  large  extent  of  country,  the  character  of  the  people  engaged,  and  the  small  force  at 
his  command,  made  it  impracticable  to  adopt  any  means  to  secure  to  the  government  rents 
ITT  fees  for  the  privilege  of  mining  the  gold,  and  he  therefore  resolved  to  let  all  work  freely. 
Crime  was  very  rare,  and  no  thefts  or  robberies  had  been  committed  in  the  gold  district 
The  gold  received  from  Governor  Mason  and  others  has  been  assayed  at  the  United  States 
Mint,  and  by  eminent  chemists,  and  proves  to  have  an  average  fineness  equal  to  that  of 
standard  American  coin. 

The  route  from  the  western  states  to  California,  via  St.  Louis  and  Santa  Fe,  we  have 
had  occasion  to  speak  of  in  the  preceding  pages  of  this  work,  and  the  accounts  given  by 
Colonel  Fremont  and  others  who  have  travelled  it,  have  been  often  repeated  in  public 
journals.  From  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  the  most  usual  passage  to  the  coast  of  California 
has  heretofore  been  by  sailing  vessels  round  Cape  Horn.  In  order  to  shorten  the  time  re 
quired  by  this  passage,  many  resort  to  the  route  across  the  isthmus  of  Panama.  The 
passengers  by  this  route  are  landed  at  Chagres,  a  town  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
of  that  name,  in  the  midst  of  a  swamp,  where  logs  have  to  be  laid  along  the  streets  at  all 
times,  to  enable  the  inhabitants  to  pass  from  one  of  their  mud  huts  to  another.  Its  cli 
mate  has  long  been  famous  as  the  very  worst  in  the  world,  and  travellers  never  stop  there 
over  night  who  can  avoid  it.  The  passage  up  the  river  is  performed  in  canoes  to  Cruces, 
or  Gorgona,  forty  or  fifty  miles,  and  then  by  mules  or  horses  to  Panama,  a  distance 
of  twenty-one  miles.  Panama  is  by  no  means  a  healthy  city,  but  it  is  much  safer  for  a 
foreigner  to  reside  in  than  Chagres.  Here  the  traveller  embarks  for  San  Francisco  and 
the  gold  country. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


THE  SIEGE  OF  VERA  CRUZ. 


ESIDES  the  three  expeditions  against  Mexico,  con 
ducted  by  Generals  Taylor,  Wool,  and  Kearny,  the 
United  States  government  had  designed  another, 
which  was  to  land  at  some  point  on  the  western  part 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  proceed  thence  to  the 
capital.  The  force  employed  was  denominated  the 
Army  of  Invasion,  and  was  placed  under  the  care  of  the  general-in- 
chief  of  the  American  army,  Major-General  Scott. 

59  (465) 


66 


LOSS    OF   THE    TRUXTUN. 


Tampico 


Preparatory  to  this  movement  a  small  squadron  was  placed  in  the 
gulf  early  in  1846,  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Conner. 
This  officer,  after  assisting  General  Taylor  during  his  operations  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  sailed  in  the  direction  of  Tampico.  On  the  7th  of 
August,  he  made  an  attempt  on  the  town  of  Alvarado,  but  failed. 
On  the  15th  of  the  same  month,  the  brig  Truxtun,  commanded  by 
officer  Carpender,  ran  aground  on  the  bar  of  Tuspan.  On  the  17th 
she  was  abandoned  by  all  the  officers  and  men,  except  Lieutenant 
Hunter,  with  a  boat's  crew.  The  latter  succeeded  in  regaining  the 
squadron,  but  the  others  were  captured  by  the  enemy,  and  subse 
quently  exchanged  for  General  La  Vega,  and  his  fellow  prisoners. 
The  Truxtun  being  utterly  immovable  was  burnt. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  Commodore  Conner  made  a  second  attack 
upon  the  town  of  Alvarado.  His  force  was  three  steamers,  three 
gun-boats,  and  two  schooners.  The  first  division  crossed  the  bar 
and  engaged  with  a  Mexican  battery  of  seven  guns,  placed  at  the 
entrance  of  the  river.  The  second  division,  however,  was  prevented 
from  crossing  by  the  grounding  of  a  steamer.  The  commodore  find 
ing  it  would  be  folly  to  proceed  with  the  first  division,  withdrew  his 
vessels  and  abandoned  the  attempt. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  Commodore  Perry  sailed  from  the  squadron 


BURNING   OF   THE    CREOLE. 


467 


Commodore  Conner. 

to  attack  the  town  of  Tabasco,  having  with  him  two  steamers  and 
seven  schooners.  Crossing  the  bar  on  the  23d,  he  took,  without  re 
sistance,  the  small  town  of  Frontera,  capturing  all  the  vessels  in  port, 
including  two  steamers.  On  the  following  day  he  commenced  the 
ascent  of  the  river  leading  to  Tabasco.  Reaching  a  fort  which  com 
manded  a  difficult  pass,  he  forced  the  enemy  to  evacuate  it,  and  then 
spiked  the  guns  ;  and  at  noon  on  the  25th,  all  his  vessels  were  an 
chored  in  front  of  the  town.  After  a  slight  engagement,  it  was 
spared  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  foreign  merchants.  In  this 
expedition,  Commodore  Perry  captured  or  destroyed  all  the  vessels 
in  the  river,  comprising  two  steamers  and  eleven  sail  of  ships,  and  put 
a  stop  to  a  trade  by  which  munitions  were  introduced  from  Yucatan 
to  Mexico.  On  the  12th  of  November,  Tampico  surrendered  to 
Commodore  Conner  without  resistance. 

On  the  night  of  November  20,  Lieutenant  Parker,  Midshipmen 
Rogers  and  Hynson,  and  six  men,  rowed  in  a  small  boat  to  the 
Mexican  trig,  Creole,  and  succeeded  in  burning  her  under  the  guns 


468    DESCRIPTION  OF  SAN  JUAN  DE  ULLOA. 

of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa.     So  daring  a  feat  reflects  great  credit  on  the 
lieutenant  and  his  little  company. 

These  were  the  principal  operations  along  the  western  gulf  coast 
prior  to  the  arrival  of  General  Scott.  It  had  been  the  ardent  desire 
of  that  officer,  from  the  beginning  of  the  war,  to  take  the  field  in 
person  ;  but  his  plan  of  operations  being  opposed  by  government,  he 
was  obliged  to  remain  at  Washington.  Late  in  November,  however, 
he  received  orders  from  President  Polk  to  take  charge  of  the  force 
on  the  gulf  coast.  He  set  out  immediately,  and  reached  the  seat  of 
war,  January  1,  1847. 

The  first  object  of  the  campaign  was  the  reduction  of  Vera  Cruz, 
and  the  Castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa.  The  force  assembled  on  the 
coast  was  inadequate  to  this  undertaking,  and  General  Scott  found 
himself  under  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  part  of  the  army  of  occu 
pation  from  General  Taylor.  These  troops  reached  him  in  February, 
augmenting  his  numbers  to  more  than  eleven  thousand. 

During  the  same  month,  the  Ondiaka  vessel  was  wrecked  near  the 
Island  of  Lobos,  having  on  board  a  regiment  of  Louisiana  volunteers, 
Commanded  by  Colonel  De  Russy.  On  reaching  the  island,  they 
met  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  under  General  Cos,  who  imme 
diately  demanded  their  surrender.  The  colonel's  party  having  no 
arms,  resistance  was  impracticable  ;  but  he  artfully  managed  to  delay 
an  answer  until  night,  at  the  same  time  drawing  up  his  troops  as  if 
for  battle.  Then  deserting  his  heavy  baggage,  he  lighted  camp  fires, 
and  under  cover  of  the  darkness  marched  rapidly  for  Tampico,  which 
he  gained  without  encountering  opposition. 

Every  thing  was  now  ready  for  the  movements  preparatory  to  the 
attack  upon  the  castle  and  the  city.  Before  describing  this,  it  may 
be  proper  to  describe  the  strength  of  this  celebrated  fortress,  and  its 
capabilities  for  defensive  warfare.  Its  construction  was  commenced 
in  1582,  upon  a  bar  or  bank  fronting  Vera  Cruz,  at  the  distance  of 
ten  hundred  and  sixty  two  yards  from  the  main  land.  The  centre 
of  the  area,  occupied  by  the  fortress,  is  a  small  island  renowned  in 
Aztec  mythology  as  the  site  of  a  temple,  in  which  human  victims 
were  offered  to  the  Sun.  The  exterior  polygon  facing  the  city,  is 
three  hundred  yards  long,  and  that  defending  the  north  channel  more 
than  two  hundred.  The  walls  are  about  five  yards  in  thickness,  con 
structed  of  a  species  of  soft  coral,  and  faced  on  the  exterior  witn  hard 
stone.  It  is  supplied  with  water  by  seven  cisterns,  which  will  hold 
more  than  a  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water.  An  officer  of  the  Ameri 
can  army  describes  its  strength  at  the  time  of  the  attack,  in  the  fol 
lowing  language : — "There  are  at  present  mounted,  nearly  three 
hundred  cannon,  and  wherever  it  has  been  possible  to  train  a  gun. 


RECONNOISSANCE    BY    SCOTT. 


469 


General  Scott  going  on  board  the  Commodore's  Ship. 

upon  the  channel  of  approach,  it  is  planted ;  so  that  a  fleet  moving 
up  to  the  attack,  must  be  exposed  to  the  concentrated  fire  of  seventy 
cannon,  over  a  distance  of  two  miles  before  it  can  get  into  position 
to  return  a  shot.  The  castle  of  San  Juan  is  about  three-eighths  of  a 
mile  from  the  city,  and  is  supported  by  a  water  battery  at  the  north-west 
angle  of  the  town,  of  fifty  thirty-two  and  forty-two-pound  guns,  all  of 
which  would  bear  upon  a  squadron  passing  up  from  the  moment  it  ar 
rived  within  range  until  within  musket-shot.  The  garrison  at  this  time, 
is  composed  of  two  thousand  men.  In  the  event  of  an  attack,  they 
could,  with  the  most  perfect  safety,  retire  within  the  casements  (which 
are  as  impervious  to  shot  as  the  sides  of  Mount  Orizaba)  until  the 
ammunition  of  the  assailing  force  was  expended,  when  they  would 
return  to  their  guns  and  sweep  the  waters  with  the  most  terrific  effect. 
The  officer  commanding  the  castle  lately  sent  official  word,  that  '  if 
the  commodore  would  bring  his  fleet  up,  he  might  fire  until  there 
was  not  a  shot  in  the  locker,  and  he  would  promise  not  to  return  a 
shot  until  he  was  done.' 

Early  in  March  the  American  army  at  Tampico  embarked  on  board 
the  gulf  squadron,  commanded  by  Commodore  Conner.  On  the  7th 
the  fleet  reached  Anton  Lizardo,  near  Vera  Cruz,  when  the  general, 
accompanied  by  Conner,  made  a  reconnoissance  of  the  coast,  and 
chose  a  portion  of  the  beach  west  of  Isle  Sacrificios,  as  a  suitable 
spot  for  landing.  On  the  9th  this  event  took  place.  Although  the 
anchorage  here  was  extremely  narrow,  yet  before  daylight  all  neces 
sary  preparations  had  been  completed.  Each  of  the  frigates  received 
2R 


470  LANDING   AT   VERA   CRUZ. 

on  board  between  twenty-five  and  twenty-eight  hundred  men,  with 
their  arms  and  accoutrements,  and  the  sloops  and  smaller  vessels 
numbers  in  proportion.  When  all  were  on  board,  the  squadron  set 
sail.  Each  ship  anchored  in  the  small  space  allotted  to  her,  without 
the  slightest  trouble,  although  the  harbour  was  densely  crowded.  It 
was  a  scene  of  grand  and  stirring  beauty  rarely  witnessed,  even  in 
war,  unaccompanied  by  any  of  those  melancholy  circumstances 
which  render  the  battle-field  so  horrible. 

While  the  men  were  being  transferred  from  the  ships  to  the  surf- 
boats,  the  commodore  directed  the  steamers  Spitfire  and  Vixen,  and 
five  gun-boats,  to  form  a  line  parallel  with  the  beach,  so  as  to  cover 
the  landing.  From  the  lightness  of  their  draught,  these  small  vessels 
were  enabled  to  take  positions  within  good  range  of  the  shore.  As 
the  guns  received  their  complements  of  troops,  they  assembled  in  a 
line  abreast,  between  the  fleet  and  the  gun-boats,  and  when  all  were 
ready,  they  moved  together,  under  the  guidance  of  the  officers  of  the 
squadron.  The  enemy  offered  no  resistance,  and  thus  more  than  four 
thousand  men  were  thrown  on  shore  together ;  so  that  in  a  very  short 
time  the  whole  army  had  been  landed,  without  the  slightest  accident. 
General  Worth,  commanding  the  first  line  of  the  army,  had  the  satis 
faction  of  forming  his  troops  on  the  beach  and  neighbouring  heights 
before  sunset.  He  was  followed,  during  the  evening,  by  General 
Twiggs. 

The.  success  attending  the  disembarkation  is  not  more  remarkable 
than  the  apathy  displayed  by  the  Mexican  garrison  during  the  land 
ing.  The  sight  of  the  Americans  on  shore  aroused,  however,  their 
energies,  and  they  began  preparations  for  a  suitable  defence.  Morales, 
the  commandant,  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  on  soldiers  and  citi 
zens  to  assist  him  in  his  efforts  to  put  both  city  and  castle  in  the  best 
possible  condition. 

On  the  day  of  landing,  Commodore  Conner  permitted  the  marines 
of  the  squadron  to  join  the  army  as  part  of  the  3d  regiment  of  artil 
lery.  Some  days  after  they  were  further  reinforced  by  Captains  Ker 
and  Thornton,  and  Colonel  Harney,  accompanied  by  a  considerable 
body  of  men  and  many  horses. 

On  the  llth,  General  Scott  received  a  request  from  Senor  Don 
Afilass  G.  de  Escalante,  the  Spanish  consul  at  Vera  Cruz,  that  the 
rights  of  Spanish  residents  might  be  respected  during  the  siege,  and 
in  case  of  assault.  In  answer,  the  American  commander  acknow 
ledged  the  relation  between  Spain  and  the  United  States,  and  pro 
mised  to  conform  to  the  request  if  possible ;  but  at  the  same  time  he 
mentioned  the  difficulty  of  discriminating  between  friend  and  foe, 
especially  if  the  city  should  be  stormed  at  night.  With  the  answer, 


Vera  Cruz. 

the  general  sent  a  printed  safeguard  to  the  consul,  and  another,  to  be 
left  in  his  care,  for  the  British  consul.  Similar  papers  were  addressed 
to  the  French  and  Prussian  ministers.  The  time  between  this  cor 
respondence  and  the  22d  was  occupied  in  landing  mortars,  planting 
batteries,  and  investing  the  city.  On  that  day  General  Scott  sum 
moned  the  city  and  castle  to  surrender,  promising  to  the  garrisons  of 
both  places  the  honours  of  war.  The  commandant  replied,  that  he 
had  prepared  for  a  vigorous  defence,  and  that  it  would  ill  become  his 
character  as  a  servant  of  the  republic,  to  surrender  his  trust. 

On  receiving  this  answer,  General  Scott  commenced  his  bombard 
ment.  Seven  mortars  opened  from  land,  while  the  small  vessels  of 
the  squadron  approached  near  enough  to  the  city  to  add  their  fire. 
All  night  the  firing  continued,  the  bombardment  presenting  a  scene 
sublime  and  terrific.  "Bombs,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "were  flying 
into  Vera  Cruz  like  hail.  Sulphureous  flashes,  clouds  of  smoke,  and 
the  dull  booms  of  heavy  guns  arose  from  the  walls  of  the  city  in  re 
turn  ;  while  ever  and  anon  a  red  sheet  of  flame  would  leap  from  the 
great  brass  mortars  of  the  castle,  followed  by  a  report  which  fairly 
made  the  earth  tremble.  *  *  *  *  A  huge  black  cloud  of  smoke  hung 
like  a  pall  over  the  American  army,  completely  concealing  it  from 
view ;  the  Mexicans  had  ceased  firing  in  order  to  prevent  our  troops 
from  directing  their  guns  by  the  flashes  from  the  walls ;  but,  having 


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(472) 


SIEGE    OF    VERA    CRUZ.  473 

obtained  the  exact  range  before  dark,  the  gunners  continued  their 
fire,  every  shell  falling  directly  into  the  city.  Suddenly  a  vivid, 
lightning-like  flash  would  gleam  for  an  instant  upon  the  dense  cloud 
of  smoke  over  our  lines,  and  then,  as  the  roar  of  the  great  mortar 
was  borne  to  our  ears,  the  ponderous  shell  would  be  seen  to  dart 
upward  like  a  meteor,  and  after  describing  a  semicircle  in  the  air, 
descend  with  a  loud  crash  upon  the  house-tops,  or  into  the  resound 
ing  streets.  Then,  after  a  brief  but  awful  moment  of  suspense,  a 
lurid  glare,  illuminating  for  an  instant  the  white  domes  and  grim 
fortresses  of  Vera  Cruz,  falling  into  ruins  with  the  shock,  and  the 
echoing  crash  that  came  to  our  ears  told  that  a  shell  had  exploded, 
and  executed  its  terrible  mission." 

In  the  morning,  the  smaller  vessels  were  withdrawn,  on  account 
of  their  exposed  situation.  Three  additional  mortars  were  placed  in 
battery,  and  the  whole  fire  of  the  -Americans  was  now  concentrated 
upon  the  city  with  terrible  effect.  At  the  same  time  the  guns  of  the 
castle  were  in  full  blaze ;  but  although  shot  and  shell  were  flying  in 
every  direction,  the  American  loss  was  only  two  men  killed  and  four 
wounded.  Among  the  former  was  the  gallant  and  amiable  Captain 
Vinton.  On  the  same  day,  thirteen  heavy  guns  arrived  from  Tam- 
pico,  two  of  which  were  landed;  but  a  norther  then  set  in  with  such 
violence,  that  communication  with  the  fleet,  and  even  the  siege  itself 
were  suspended.  During  the  night  the  storm  abated,  and  early  the 
next  morning  the  fleet  recommenced  the  landing  of  military  stores. 
The  firing  continued  at  intervals  the  whole  of  this  day,  the  naval  bat 
teries  co-operating  with  the  land  forces.  Towards  evening,  the 
ammunition  became  exhausted,  and  a  reoccurrence  of  the  norther 
prevented  any  active  operations  on  the  American  side.  During  this 
cessation,  General  Scott  received,  from  the  foreign  consuls  of  the  city, 
a  request  that  a  truce  might  be  granted  to  allow  neutrals,  and  the 
Mexican  women  and  children  to  leave  the  city.  To  this  the  general 
replied,  that  a  tru'ce  could  be  granted  only  on  an  application  of  the 
governor,  with  a  view  to  surrender ;  that  in  sending  safeguards  to 
the  different  consuls,  commencing  as  far  back  as  the  15th  instant,  he 
had  distinctly  admonished  them  of  subsequent  dangers ;  that  although 
at  that  date  he  had  refused  to  allow  any  person  to  pass  the  line  of 
investment  either  way,  yet  up  to  the  22d,  the  blockade  had  been  left 
open  to  the  consuls  and  other  neutrals  to  pass  out  to  their  respective 
ships  of  war.  This  answer  contained  a  copy  of  the  summons  to  the 
governor,  showing  that  General  Scott  had  considered  the  case  of  the 
women  and  children  before  the  siege  commenced. 

The  destruction  within  the  city  was  now  so  great,  that  the  citizens 
implored  the  governor  to  surrender.  This  he  refused  to  do.  A  council 
2R2  60 


474 


NEGOTIATIONS. 


Colonel  Totten. 

of  citizens  and  officers  was  then  held,  which  requested  him  imme 
diately  to  resign.  This  was  complied  with,  and  General  Landero 
was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  He  sent  overtures  for  a  truce  early 
on  the  26th,  and  negotiations  were  carried  on  as  actively  as  the  stormy 
condition  of  the  weather  would  permit.  Generals  Worth  and  Pillow, 
and  Colonel  Totten  were  appointed  commissioners  for  the  Americans ; 
and  Pedro  M.  Herrera,  Jose  Gutierrez  de  Villanueva,  and  Manuel 
Robles,  for  the  Mexicans.  The  fleet  was  not  represented,  on  account 
of  the  impossibility  of  communication. 

When  these  officers  met,  the  Mexican  commissioners  presented  six 
propositions,  asking  to  evacuate  the  city  without  hindrance ;  to  march 
out  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  a  full  allowance  of  stores  and  field- 
pieces  ;  to  salute  their  flag  on  its  being  struck ;  to  be  assured  that 
private  property  and  the  enjoyment  of  religious  opinions  would  be 
respected ;  that  the  guards  of  Vera  Cruz  should  retire,  unmolested,  to 
their  homes ;  and  that,  in  case  the  siege  continued,  the  neutrals  be 
permitted  to  pass  out.  Most  of  these  General  Scott  refused  to  grant, 
and  negotiations  recommenced.  Captain  Aulick  now  arrived  from 
the  fleet,  and,  at  the  request  of  General  Scott,  was  admitted  to  the 


TERMS   OF    SURRENDER.  475 

conference.     At  length  the  commissioners  agreed  on  the  following 
terms : 

1.  The  whole  garrison,  or  garrisons,  to  be  surrendered  to  the  arms 
of  the  United  States,  as  prisoners  of  war,  the  29th  instant,  at  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M. ;  the  garrisons  to  be  permitted  to  march  out  with  all 
the  honours  of  war,  and  to  lay  down  their  arms  to  such  officers  as 
may  be  appointed  by  the  general-in-chief  of  the  United  States  armies, 
and  at  a  point  to  be  agreed  upon  by  the  commissioners. 

2.  Mexican  officers  shall  preserve  their  arms  and  private  effects, 
;ncluding  horses  and  horse-furniture,  and  to  be  allowed,  regular  and 
irregular  officers,  as  also  the  rank  and  file,  five  days  to  retire  to  their 
respective  homes,  on  parole,  as  hereinafter  prescribed. 

3.  Coincident  with  the  surrender,  as  stipulated  in  article  1,  the 
Mexican  flags  of  the  various  forts  and  stations  shall  be  struck,  saluted 
by  their  own  batteries ;  and,  immediately  thereafter,  Forts  Santiago 
and  Conception,  and  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  occupied  by 
the  forces  of  the  United  States. 

4.  The  rank  and  file  of  the  regular  portion  of  the  prisoners  to  be 
disposed  of  after  surrender  and  parole,  as  their  general-in-chief  may 
desire,  and  the  irregular  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  their  homes. 
The  officers,  in  respect  to  all  arms  and  descriptions  of  force,  giving 
the  usual  parole,  that  the  said  rank  and  file,  as  well  as  themselves, 
shall  not  serve  again  until  duly  exchanged. 

5.  All  the  materiel  of  war,  and  all  public  property  of  every  de 
scription  found  in  the  city,  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  and  their 
dependencies,  to  belong  to  the  United  States  ;  but  the  armament  of 
the  same  (not  injured  or  destroyed  in  the  farther  prosecution  of  the 
actual  war)  may  be  considered  as  liable  to  be  restored  to  Mexico  by 
a  definite  treaty  of  peace. 

6.  The  sick  and  wounded  Mexicans  to  be  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  city,  with  such  medical  officers  and  attendants,  and  officers  of  the 
army,  as  may  be  necessary  to  their  care  and  treatment. 

7.  Absolute  protection  is  solemnly  guarantied  to  persons  in  the 
city,  and  property,  and  it  is  clearly  understood  that  no  private  build 
ing  or  property  is  to  be  taken  or  used  by  the  forces  of  the  United 
States,  without  previous  arrangement  with  the  owners,  and  for  a  fair 
equivalent. 

8.  Absolute   freedom   of  religious   worship   and   ceremonies   is 
solemnly  guarantied. 

During  the  siege,  Colonel  Harney,  of  the  dragoons,  had  a  severe 
skirmish  with  a  large  body  of  Mexican  cavalry,  stationed  outside  the 
city.  Without  knowing  the  exact  force  of  the  enemy,  he  set  out  in 
pursuit  of  them  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  of  his  men.  When 


476 


HARNEYS   DRAGOON   FIGHT. 


Colonel  Harney 's  Dragoon  Fight 

three  miles  from  General  Patterson's  head-quarters,  he  discovered 
them  intrenched  near  a  bridge,  and  stationed  himself  so  as  to  watch 
their  movements,  while  his  own  men  were  secure.  The  Mexicans 
soon  perceived  him,  and  opened  their  fire.  Finding  his  force  too 
small  to  cope  with  them,  Harney  despatched  a  messenger  to  camp 
for  a  reinforcement  and  artillery  to  break  their  breastworks.  General 
Patterson  sent  him  sixty  dragoons,  and  infantry  and  artillery  sufficient 
to  swell  his  force  to  more  than  five  hundred. 

Colonel  Harney  then  formed  the  Tennessee  volunteers  on  the  right, 
the  dragoons  on  the  left,  and  advanced  slowly  to  draw  the  Mexican 
fire,  covering  his  artillery  until  it  could  reach  a  desirable  station.    On 
arriving  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  works,  the  artillery 
opened,  and  soon  after   the   colonel  ordered  a  charge.     This  was 
executed  with  such  impetuosity,  that  the  enemy  were  routed  on 
every  side,  and  pursued  for  more  than  a  mile.     Here  the  Americans 
met  the  main  body  of  lancers,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  and,  not 
withstanding  the  disparity  in   numbers,  were  ordered   to   charge. 
After  sweeping  unscathed  through  a  volley  of  pistol-shot,  they  broke 
headlong  among  the  lancers.     Numbers  sunk  down  under  the  first 
shock,  and  then  the  heavy  dragoon  met  the  high  spirited  lancer  hand 
to  hand  in  mortal  fray.     For  awhile  the  spectacle  was  most  exciting; 
but  it  closed  over  the  Mexicans  in  rout  and  disorder.     Horses  were 
crushed  to  earth,  their  riders  unsaddled,  lances  twisted  from  their 
hold,  and  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  driven  in  every  direction 
The  Americans  lost  two  killed    and  nine  wounded ;   the  enemy, 


MEXICANS  EVACUATE  VERA  CRUZ. 


477 


nearly  one  hundred.     Their  total  force  was  supposed  to  number  two 
thousand. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  the  Mexicans  evacuated  both  city  and  cas 
tle,  marching  to  an  open  plain  behind  the  city,  stacking  their  arms, 
and  then  proceeding  towards  the  interior.  Women  and  children 
accompanied  them,  bearing  heavy  burdens,  and  exhibiting  the  melan 
choly  consequences  of  the  assault.  After  their  flag  was  struck,  the 
Americans  entered  the  city  amid  the  strains  of  national  music,  the 
shouts  of  the  overjoyed  soldiery,  and  the  loud  booming  of  cannon 


478  CAPTURE    OF    ALVARADO. 

from  both  fleet  and  castle.  General  Twiggs  was  appointed  governor, 
and  soon  restored  quiet  and  confidence.  An  immense  quantity  of 
guns,  ammunition,  and  other  military  stores  were  captured. 

Ever  keeping  in  mind  the  instructions  of  government — to  conquer 
a  peace — General  Scott  used  every  effort  to  conciliate  the  Mexican 
population,  and  convince  them  that  so  far  from  entertaining  hostile 
feelings  towards  them,  the  American  government  regarded  them  in  a 
spirit  of  amity  and  forbearance.  A  proclamation  was  issued,  solemnly 
promising  them  protection  in  the  enjoyment  and  exercise  of  all  their 
rights,  social  and  religious ;  while  at  the  same  time  they  were  ex 
horted  to  remain  neutral,  and  avoid  every  thing  which  might  foster  a 
spirit  of  distrust  and  retaliation  between  themselves  and  the  Ameri 
can  soldiers. 

A  few  days  before  the  commencement  of  the  assault  upon  Vera 
Cruz,  Commodore  Conner  had  been  superseded  in  the  command  of 
the  gulf  squadron  by  Commodore  Perry,  who  had  charge  of  the  fleet 
during  the  whole  siege.  On  the  21st  of  March  a  detachment,  under 
Lieutenant  Hunter,  appeared  before  the  town  of  Alvarado  and  de 
manded  its  surrender.  This  was  complied  with,  and  thus  the  place 
which  had  been  a  desired  object  to  the  Americans  for  nearly  a  year, 
was  attained  without  bloodshed.  Hunter  was  subsequently  called  to 
account  for  exceeding  his  orders,  and  after  being  severely  repri 
manded  by  the  commodore,  was  dismissed  from  the  squadron  ;  but, 
on  reporting  himself  at  Washington,  he  was  ordered  on  other  duty. 

News  of  the  taking  of  Vera  Cruz  was  received  in  the  United  States 
with  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  joy.  Thanks  and  tokens  of  esteem 
were  voted  to  Scott  and  his  army,  and  public  illuminations  were  held 
in  most  of  the  great  cities.  It  was  indeed  a  great  feat,  that,  with  the 
loss  of  only  a  few  men  killed  and  wounded,  our  troops  should  subdue 
a  fortress,  considered  by  all  the  world  as  impregnable. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


MARCH  TOWARDS  THE  CAPITAL,  AND  BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO. 


HE  American  army  remained  at 
Vera  Cruz  until  the  8th  of  April, 
when  General  Twiggs,  with  his 
division,  marched  for  the  interior. 
Other  divisions  followed  in  regular 
order.  At  the  close  of  the  third 
day,  the  van  reached  the  foot  of  the 
great  mountain  range  in  sight  of 
Orizaba,  and  the  tall  peaks  that 
lookup  towards  it.  Through  the 
rocky  denies  of  this  stupendous 
chain,  the  great  national  road  winds 
j  towards  the  city  of  Mexico ;  and 
on  the  precipitous  cliffs  command 
ing  it  was  posted,  in  strong  intrench- 
ments,  the  Mexican  army,  numbering  elev.en  thousand,  and  com 
manded  by  Santa  Anna.  . 

This  officer,  after  his  repulse  at  Buena  Vista,  had  succeeded  in 

(479) 


460 


SANTA  ANNA  AT  CERRO  GORDO 


General  Twiggs. 


raising  and  equipping  another  array,  with  which  he  hoped  to  check 
the  advance  of  the  Americans.  He  chose  a  position  which  entirely 
commanded  the  road,  and  where  he  hoped  that  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  and  the  bravery  of  his  soldiers,  would  enable  him  to  defeat 
General  Scott,  and  redeem  what  had  been  lost  at  Angostura  and 
Vera  Cruz. 

On  ascertaining  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  General  Scott  resolved 
to  reconnoiter  his  position  daily,  so  as  to  open  a  road  in  their  rear, 
which  would  enable  him  to  attack  them  at  two  points  simultaneously. 
This  most  difficult  design  was  executed  as  far  as  the  height  of  Cerro 
Gordo,  the  key  of  the  enemy's  position,  when  it  became  evident  that 
farther  advance  in  that  direction  was  impossible,  without  a  battle. 
The  general  therefore  made  the  requisite  preparations  for  an  attack, 
and  on  the  17th  issued  his  celebrated  order,  in  which,  with  prophetic 
accuracy,  he  detailed  each  movement  of  both  armies,  as  well  as  the 
line  of  pursuit.  In  the  evening  of  that  day,  Twiggs's  division  was 
thrown  into  position,  and,  while  the  advance  parties  were  working 
upon  the  road,  they  were  fired  upon  with  grape  and  musketry.  A 
rather  severe  skirmish  ensued,  which  lasted  until  Colonel  Harney 


DESCRIPTION   OF   CERRO   GORDO. 


481 


General  Pillow. 


came  into  action,  with  a  body  of  riflemen,  and  drove  in  the  Mex 
ican  pickets.  A  height  near  Cerro  Gordo  was  then  secured,  and 
a  battery  of  one  twenty-four-pounder  and  two  howitzers  placed 
upon  it. 

The  battle  ground  of  Cerro  Gordo  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
Plan  del  Rio,  a  small  stream  running  at  this  place  directly  east  and 
west.  On  each  side  of  this  narrow  channel,  a  steep  mountain  wall 
rises  to  the  height  of  one  thousand  feef,  and  then  spreads  out  towards 
the  north  in  table-land,  divided  into  two  portions  by  a  chain  of  rocky 
hills  running  from  north  to  south.  On  the  west,  this  high  surface 
descends  abruptly  into  a  long,  narrow  valley,  from  which,  on  the 
opposite  side,  rises  the  commanding  mount  of  Cerro  Gordo,  situated 
a  little  north  of  the  Plan  del  Rio,  and  west  of  the  plateau  of  table 
land.  The  national  road  crosses  the  stream  at  a  small  gorge,  and 
winding  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  table-land,  turns  to  the  west, 
bounding  the  northern  portion  until  it  enters  the  narrow  valley  be 
tween  the  table-land  and  Cerro  Gordo.  It  runs  through  this,  and 
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482 


BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO.          483 

turning  southward,  sweeps  round  the  foot  of  that  position,  and  then 
runs  west  towards  Jalapa.  West  of  Cerro  Gordo  was  another  strong 
height,  also  commanding  the  road ;  and  north  of  it  a  third,  on  which 
the  Americans  planted  a  heavy  battery  during  the  night  of  the  23d. 

Cerro  Gordo  was  defended  by  a  tower  and  numerous  works,  and 
the  road  leading  up  the  hill  to  it  was  at  least  half  a  mile  in  length. 
An  assailing  force  marching  up  this  road  would  be  exposed  to  the 
full  range  of  the  enemy's  cannon  throughout  its  whole  extent.  Here 
Santa  Anna  had  posted  his  main  force  of  more  than  six  thousand 
men,  whom  he  commanded  in  person.  The  height  to  the  west  was 
also  occupied  with  a  large  force.  But  the  new  road  cut  by  the 
Americans  north  of  these  hills,  and  ascending  them  by  a  precipitous 
rise,  where  cannon  could  not  well  operate  upon  an  assailing  force, 
saved  General  Scott's  army  from  the  terrible  slaughter  which  would 
have  attended  a .  direct  attack  upon  the  front  or  south  side.  The 
storming  of  this  main  point  of  Santa  Anna's  position  was  intrusted  to 
the  division  of  General  Twiggs.  The  strong  points  of  the  plateau, 
together  with  the  ridge  of  hills  running  north  and  south,  were  de 
fended  by  General  La  Vega,  with  more  than  two  thousand  men. 
This  was  the  position  attacked  by  General  Pillow,  and  so  gallantly 
defended  by  its  garrison.  The  hill  west  of  Cerro  Gordo  was  attacked 
by  the  2d  infantry.  Shields's  brigade  was  stationed  west  of  it,  and 
on  the  Jalapa  road,  in  order  to  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th,  a  thousand  men  were  sent  from  Twiggs's 
division  to  erect  a  battery  upon  the  height  north  of  Cerro  Gordo, 
which  had  been  captured  during  the  evening's  skirmish.  This  as 
has  been  mentioned  above,  consisted  of  a  twenty-four-pounder  and 
two  howitzers.  This  duty  was  one  of  difficulty  and  danger.  The 
soldiers  were  worn  out  through  long  marching,  the  height  was  steep, 
rocky,  and  several  hundred  feet  high,  the  night  singularly  dark,  and 
the  pieces  so  heavy  as  to  be  almost  unmanageable.  The  detachment 
was  divided  into  two  sections,  each  of  which  dragged  up  the  pieces 
alternately.  Then  the  troops  locked  the  wheels  and  sunk  exhausted  on 
the  rocks,  while  their  comrades  advanced  to  relieve  them.  At  three 
o'clock  A.  M.  of  the  18th,  the  battery  was  in  a  position  to  open  on 
the  enemy. 

Before  daylight,  the  entire  division  of  Twiggs  was  roused  to  storm 
the  height.  As  the  loud  cannon  opened  on  each  side,  Shields  hur 
ried  on  against  the  fort  to  the  west,  so  as  to  carry  it  and  gain  the 
Jalapa  road.  As  light  gradually  spread  among  the  mountains,  the 
long  lines  of  American  soldiery  could  be  seen  clambering  up  the 
precipitous  ascent,  in  direct  route  for  the  main  height.  Colonel  Har- 
ney,  assisted  by  Colonel  Childs,  led  the  assault,  while  the  comman- 


484 


BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO. 


General  Twiggs  at  Cerro  Gordo. 

der-in-chief  fixed  his  anxious  eye  upon  the  movement.  Although 
for  some  time  protected  by  the  steep  ledges,  the  assailants  came  at 
length  within  range  of  the  opposing  fire,  and  the  front  ranks  melted 
away  before  its  withering  showers.  Thundering  tones  shook  all  the 
mountain  heights,  echoing  and  breaking  among  the  gorges,  with  ter 
rific  grandeur  ;  while  answering  them  went  up  the  shouts  of  man  and 
officer,  the  firm,  clear  words  of  command,  and  the  quick  clashing  of 
arms.  The  gallant  Harney,  regardless  of  personal  danger,  cheered 
on  his  men,  rushing  along  their  front,  through  showers  of  death  that 
rained  on  every  side.  Animated  by  his  voice  and  example,  the 
troops  breasted  the  murderous  storm,  reached  the  parapet  and  leaped 
over  among  their  enemies.  Then  the  cannon  ceased,  and  there 
were  a  few  moments  of  terrible  silence,  succeeded  by  the  ringing  of 
bayonets,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying.  The  struggle  was  short. 
Dismayed  by  the  impetuous  charge,  the  enemy  either  threw  down 
their  arms  or  broke  and  fled  down  the  southern  ascent  to  the  main 
road.  Generals  Santa  Anna,  Canalizo,  and  Almonte,  escaped  to 
Jalapa.  Twiggs's  division,  headed  by  Harney  and  Childs,  continued 
in  close  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  until  late  in  the  afternoon. 

So  conspicuous  was  the  conduct  of  Colonel  Harney,  during  the 
whole  of  this  terrible  charge,  that  immediately  after  the  enemy's 
works  had  been  carried,  and  while  all  around  was  confusion  and  wild 
pursuit,  General  Scott  rode  up  to  the  colonel  and  exclaimed,  "  Colo 
nel  Harney,  I  cannot  now  adequately  express  my  admiration  of  your 
gallant  achievement,  but  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  soon  thanking  you 


BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO. 


487 


General  Shields  wounded. 

in  proper  terms."  With  characteristic  modesty,  Harney  replied  that 
the  praise  was  due  less  to  himself  than  to  his  officers  and  men. 

Meanwhile  General  Shields,  with  his  volunteers,  had  stormed  and 
carried  the  height  to  the  west,  and  marching  down  rapidly  into  the 
road ,  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  fugitives  from  Cerro  Gordo.  In  the 
commencement  of  the  action,  the  general  was  paralyzed  by  a  musket- 
ball  which  passed  through  his  lungs.  Colonel  Baker  then  took  com 
mand  of  his  division,  and  conducted  the  pursuit. 

At  the  same  time  General  Pillow  had  attacked  the  strong  positions 
of  the  enemy,  situated  on  the  plateau.  General  La  Vega  received 
him  with  a  galling  fire,  but  without  being  able  to  check  his  advance. 
The  column  was  led  by  Haskell's  regiment  of  Tennessee  volunteers, 
followed  by  the  other  regiments  of  the  brigade.  When  near  La 
Vega's  position,  the  advance  suddenly  received  a  heavy  fire  from  a 
masked  battery,  which  drove  it  back  with  great  loss.  Pillow  restored 
his  line  and  again  ordered  it  forward.  The  troops  advanced  with 
spirit ;  but  the  Mexicans,  animated  by  their  former  success,  poured 
forth  so  terrible  a  discharge  from  all  their  batteries,  that  they  again 
drove  back  the  assailants.  At  this  time  the  American  flag  was  ob 
served  on  Cerro  Gordo,  and  judging  it  useless  to  resist  further,  Ge 
neral  La  Vega  surrendered.  The  force  of  the  Americans  at  Cerro 
Gordo  was  about  eight  thousand  five  hundred ;  their  loss  was  thirty- 
three  officers  and  three  hundred  and  ninety  eight  men — total  four 


488 


BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO. 


hundred  and  eighty-three ;  of  whom  sixty- three  were  killed.  The 
loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed  and  wounded  was  never  known,  but 
during  the  battle  it  no  doubt  equalled  that  of  their  antagonists,  and 
in  the  retreat  was  greatly  augmented  by  the  slaughter  committed 
among  the  fugitives  by  Harney's  dragoons.  The  amount  of  ammu 
nition,  arms,  military  stores,  and  prisoners  captured  was  so  great, 
that  in  General  Scott's  language,  the  victors  were  "  embarrassed  with 
the  results  of  victory, — prisoners  of  war,"  says  the  commander, 
"heavy  ordnance,  field  batteries,  small  arms,  and  accoutrements. 
About  three  thousand  men  laid  down  their  arms,  with  the  usual  pro 
portion  of  field  and  company  officers,  besides  five  generals,  several 
of  them  of  great  distinction, — Pinzon,  Jarrero,  La  Vega,  Noriaga,  and 
Abando.  A  sixth  general,  Vasqiiez,  was  killed  in  defending  the  bat 
tery  (tower)  in  the  rear  of  the  whole  Mexican  army,  the  capture  of 
which  gave  us  those  glorious  results." 

As  the  great  number  of  prisoners  was  an  insupportable  burden  to 
the  army,  General  Scott  released  them  all  on  parole,  except  a 


TWIGGS  ENTERS  JALAPA. 


489 


Colonel  Hitchcock. 


officers,  who  chose  to  remain  under  the  good  treatment  of  the  Ame 
rican  government.  All  the  private  effects  were  restored  to  their 
owners,  and  the  small  arms  and  some  ammunition  destroyed.  The 
duty  of  receiving  the  paroles  of  the  Mexican  officers  was  intrusted  to 
Colonel  Hitchcock,  inspector-general  of  the  army,  who  also  furnished 
provisions  for  the  prisoners. 

On  the  same  day  that  the  victory  of  Cerro  Gordo  was  achieved, 
the  town  of  Tuspan  was  captured  with  but  slight  resistance  by  a  por 
tion  of  the  gulf  squadron.  On  the  following  day  Twiggs  entered 
Jalapa,  in  pursuit  of  the  flying  enemy.  On  the  same  day  and  the 
following,  the  Mexicans  abandoned  the  strong  post  of  La  Hoya;  and 
on  the  22d,  General  Worth  entered  the  strong  town  and  castle  of 
Perote.  This  fortress  is  one  of  the  most  formidable  in  Mexico.  It 
contained  fifty-four  pieces  of  cannon,  bronze  and  iron  mortars,  eleven 
thousand  cannon  balls,  fourteen  thousand  bombs,  and  five  hundred 
muskets,  all  of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  General  Worth  approached  the  city  of  Puebla. 
He  was  met  by  a  party  of  lancers,  supposed  to  be  led  by  Santa 

62 


490 


SKIRMISH    WITH    LANCERS. 


Anna,  with  whom  a  skirmish  ensued,  in  the  plains  tf  Amasoca. 
After  losing  a  few  men,  the  enemy  retreated,  and  were  driven  into 
the  streets  of  Puebla,  where  they  separated  and  escaped. 

The  city  of  Puebla  is  among  the  largest  in  Mexico,  containing  a 
population  of  eighty  thousand  souls.  It  is  celebrated  for  its  splendid 
cathedral — probably  the  most  costly  building  in  America — its  nume 
rous  churches  and  priests,  the  beauty  of  its  public  buildings,  the 
general  good  appearance  of  its  streets  and  houses,  its  numerous  places 
of  amusement,  and  the  richness  of  the  surrounding  scenery. 

Thus  in  less  than  two  months,  General  Scott  and  his  army  had 
captured  three  large  cities,  two  castles,  ten  thousand  men,  more  than 
seven  hundred  cannon,  mostly  new,  and  an  immense  quantity  of 
shells,  shot,  and  small  arms.  For  rapidity  of  execution,  these 
achievements  have  scarcely  a  parallel,  except  in  Napoleon's  first 
Italian  campaign. 


Capture  of  Tuspan. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


THE    GUERRILLA    WARFARE. 


FTER  the  fall  of  Vera  Cruz,  the 
Mexican  government  author 
ized  the  organization  of  small 
bands  of  citizens  and  villagers, 
armed  and  mounted.  They  were 
termed  u  guerrilla  parties," 
and  being  composed  mostly  of 
outlaws  and  robbers — the  dregs 
of  the  population — they  entered 
upon  the  campaign  with  the 
avowed  determination  to  ex 
tend  no  quarter  to  any  who 
might  fall  into  their  hands,  but  to  rob  and  murder  as  often  as  occa 
sion  offered.  Spreading  themselves  over  the  country  through  which 
the  route  of  the  Americans  extended,  they  seized  the  mountain  fast 
nesses  and  strong  passes,  attacked  scouting  parties,  intercepted 
communications,  and  even  entered  garrisoned  cities  at  night,  and 
murdered  all  American  stragglers  within  their  reach.  Some  of  their 
attempts  were  so  daring  and  serious,  as  to  be  deserving  of  particular 
record. 

Early  in  May,  a  party  of  infantry  were  attacked  near  the  National 
Bridge,  and  obliged  to  fall  back  upon  their  wagon  train.    Here  they 
rallied,  and  charged  on  the  guerrillas,  who  were  dispersed  with  con- 
2  T  (493) 


494 


GUERRILLA   WARFARE. 


National  Bridge. 

siderable  loss.  One  American  was  killed.  On  tne  same  day,  no 
less  than  twenty-one  bodies  were  found  on  the  road,  of  those  who 
had  been  murdered  by  the  rancheros.  Not  long  after,  some  unknown 
persons  of  General  Taylor's  army  entered  a  rancho  near  Seralvo,  and 
hung  nearly  forty  Mexicans.  Generals  Taylor  and  Wool  made  the 
most  strenuous  exertion-  ^  discover  the  perpetrators  of  this  outrage, 
but  without  success.  On  receiving  news  of  the  murder,  General 
Canales  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  whole  eastern  country 
under  martial  law,  and  that  no  quarter  should  be  extended  to  any 
American. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  Colonel  Sowers  reached  Vera  Cruz  with  de 
spatches  from  General  Scott,  then  approaching  Puebla.  On  the  same 
day,  with  an  escort  of  five  men  and  Lieutenant  McDonnell,  he  set 
out  for  Santa  Fe,  hoping  to  find  Captain  Wheat  there,  from  whom  he 
expected  further  reinforcements.  Being  disappointed,  he  set  out  with 
two  additional  men,  but  was  attacked  on  the  road  by  the  guerrillas, 
and  himself  and  six  men  murdered.  The  survivor  escaped  to  carry 
.the  sad  news  to  Vera  Cruz.  About  the  same  time,  Captain  Walker, 
with  eight  hundred  mtn,  while  escorting  a  wagon  train,  was  attacked 
by  two  hundred  rancheros,  whom  he  charged,  capturing  six,  killing 
ten,  and  pursuing  tne  remainder  as  far  as  the  darkness  of  night  would 
admit.  The  2d  dragoons,  who  accompanied  Walker,  had  six  killed 


ATTACK    ON    COLONEL    M  c  I  N  T  O  S  H. 


Mexican  Cavalry  menacing  a  train  of  Wagons. 

and  eleven  wounded,  a  loss  which  induced  them  to  shoot  tne  prison 
ers  taken  by  Walker. 

On  the  night  of  June  4th,  eight  hundred  men,  under  Colonel 
Mclntosh,  started  from  Vera  Cruz  for  Puebla,  with  a  train  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  wagons,  and  six  hundred  mules.  He  had  with 
him  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  specie.  On 
Sunday,  the  6th  of  June,  the  advance  guard,  consisting  of  Captain 
Ford's  Indiana  dragoons,  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  large  body  of 
Mexicans,  who  killed  two  and  wounded  five  or  six  others.  This 
threw  the  American  front  into  confusion,  and  enabled  the  enemy  to 
follow  up  their  success  by  capturing  several  horses  and  a  large  quan 
tity  of  baggage.  The  troops  were  just  recovering  from  this  unex 
pected  assault,  when  in  about  half  an  hour  the  rear  of  the  train  was 
attacked,  and  before  the  guard,  who  were  unfortunately  too  far  be 
hind,  could  get  up,  they  had  lost  a  large  number  of  pack  mules,  and 
several  wagons  were  robbed  of  their  contents.  The  assailants  then 
retired  into  the  neighbouring  chaparral,  where  it  was  impossible  to 
pursue  them. 

The  train  was  now  arranged  in  order,  the  mounted  dragoons 
placed  as  a  rear  guard,  and  the  whole  again  moved  forward.  At 
sunset  they  reached  a  low  part  of  the  road,  bordered  on  the  left  by 
an  open  chaparral,  and  on  the  right  by  a  field,  set  with  thickets,  and 
commanded  on  the  farther  end  by  a  small  fort  situated  on  a  hilL 
The  stillness  of  this  lonely  spot  was  suddenly  broken  by  heavy  dis 
charges  of  musketry,  while  from  the  fort,  the  hill  in  its  rear,  and  the 


496 


ATTACK   ON   COLONEL    McJNTOSH. 


rows  of  chaparral,  blazed  forth  sheets  of  blinding  flame.  Although 
the  Americans  were  mostly  raw  recruits,  they  received  the  enemy's 
fire  with  coolness,  and  poured  forth  in  return  a  volley  from  their 
rifles.  After  this  had  continued  for  some  minutes,  they  charged  upon 
the  chaparral  in  rear  of  the  adjoining  field,  and  after  a  short  but  ex 
citing  struggle,  silenced  the  Mexicans'  fire,  and  drove  them  from  the 
thickef.  At  the  same  time,  the  dragoons  rushed  down  upon  the  fort 
on  the  hill,  entered  it  amid  loud  shouts,  and  compelled  the  garrison 
to  fly  in  confusion  over  the  neighbouring  heights. 

\  HROUGHOUT  the  whole  of  this  affair 

the  Mexicans  behaved  with  more  than 
usual  skill  and  bravery.  During  the 
confusion  incident  to  the  first  attack, 
they  avoided  the  American  troops  as 
much  as  possible,  and  fell  upon  the 
wagons  and  mules,  which  extended 
over  a  distance  of  four  miles,  and  hav 
ing  the  guard  of  four  hundred  men 
weakened  by  extension.  They  were 
thus  enabled  to  capture  twenty-eight 
wagons,  and  nearly  two  hundred  pack 

mules.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  during  this  week,  in  specie  alone, 
was  more  than  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Thirty  men  were  killed.  Colo 
nel  Mclntosh  halted  at  Paso  de  Obijas,  and  despatched  a  courier  to 
General  Cadwalader,  at  Vera  Cruz,  for  supplies. 

This  action  encouraged  the  guerrillas  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
spread  themselves  between  Vera  Cruz  and  General  Scott's  head-quar 
ters,  cut  off  the  communication,  and  occupied  all  the  strong  positions 
in  the  vicinity.  Strong  bodies  entered  Vera  Cruz  at  night,  and  drove 
off  numbers  of  horses  :  scouting  parties  were  attacked,  and  sometimes 
murdered ;  while  it  became  almost  impossible  to  travel  with  a  train 
without  its  being  accompanied  by  a  large  escort. 

On  the  8th,  a  small  recruiting  party  of  Americans,  with  some  citi 
zens  and  disbanded  soldiers,  numbering  in  all  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
left  Puebla  for  Vera  Cruz.  It  was  conducted  by  Captain  Bainbridge, 
of  the  3d  artillery.  On  approaching  Cerro  Gordo,  two  officers  were 
fired  upon  from  the  chaparral  in  the  rear  of  the  train,  and  soon  after 
the  captain  was  informed  that  the  pass  was  guarded  by  four  thousand 
Mexicans.  After  halting  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass,  and  organizing, 
the  party  passed  through  without  meeting  the  enemy,  and  arrived 
that  evening  at  the  National  Bridge.  The  troops  were  now  so  much 
fatigued  as  to  be  unable  to  furnish  a  guard ;  but,  while  preparing  to 
bivouac,  they  received  information  that  some  persons  were  barri- 


DRAGOONS   ATTACKING   THE    GUERRILLAS.     497 


cading  the  bridge.  About  the  same  time  signal  lights  were  distinctly 
observed  on  the  ridges  and  cliffs  near  Cerro  Gordo.  In  order  to  pre 
vent  surprise,  a  few  men  were  placed  between  the  bridge  and  the 
encampment,  but  no  attempt  was  made  on  them  during  the  night. 

Before  daylight  the  sick  and  wounded  were  removed  to  a  place 
oi  safety,  and  two  parties  despatched  towards  the  bridge,  one  of 
which  cleared  it  without  meeting  the  enemy.  These  were  followed 
'  soon  after  by  the  main  body.  Every  thing  appearing  safe,  Lieutenant 
McWilliams  and  a  Mr.  Frazer  were  sent  to  bring  the  train  across  the 
bridge.  While  on  their  way,  they  were  fired  at  by  about  twenty-five 
Mexicans,  posted  on  a  ridge.  The  wagon-master  and  four  others 
were  killed,  and  a  wagon  captured.  Immediately  after  a  party  of 
lancers  appeared  on  the  bridge,  and  prepared  for  a  charge ;  but  on  per 
ceiving  that  Captain  Bainbridge's  party  were  ready  to  receive  them, 
they  hastily  retired.  Placing  his  troops  in  order,  the  captain  resumed 
his  march,  followed  by  several  hundred  lancers,  who  hung  upon  his 
rear  and  flanks  until  he  arrived  at  the  pass,  where  Colonel  Mclntosh 
was  awaiting  reinforcements.  The  Mexicans  were  a  portion  of  the 
same  party  that  had  attacked  the  colonel  and  cut  off  his  train,  and 
during  the  whole  night  they  kept  up  a  continual  fire  upon  the  camp, 
often  approaching  very  near  to  the  American  sentinels. 

N  the  following  day  Bainbridge's  party 
resumed  its  march  to  Vera  Cruz,  in 
company  with  Captain  Duperu's  dra 
goons,  who  returned  to  obtain  theii 
horses.  It  had  been  owing  to  the 
bravery  of  this  company  that  Mcln- 
tosh's  command  was  not  entirely  cul 
off  or  dispersed  during  the  fierce  attack 
of  the  lancers.  On  arriving  at  Santa 
Fe,  the  dragoons  halted,  in  order  to 
protect  a  large  return  train,  at  that 
time  threatened  ;  and  meanwhile  Cap 
tain  Bainbridge  pushed  on  to  Vera 
Cruz,  where  he  arrived  in  safety.  The 
threatened  assault  upon  Duperu's  com 
mand  was  made ;  but,  although  the  enemy  were  greatly  superior,  he 
succeeded  in  driving  them  back  with  loss,  and  arrived  safely  at  Vera 
Cruz. 

On  the  day  that  Captain  Bainbridge's  command  left  Mclntosh's 

camp,  General  Cadwalader  reached  it  with  eight  hundred  men,  and 

two  howitzers.    The  two  commands,  numbering  about  one  thousand 

men,  were  then  joined,  and  moved  forward  towards  the  National 

2x2  63 


498   CADWALADER   DEFEATS   THE    GUERRILLAS. 


Captain  Duperu's  Dragoons  attacking  the  Guerrillas.  r<  [ 

Bridge.  He  led  his  troops  over  the  commanding  heights  from  which 
the  enemy  had  made  their  attack,  so  as  to  he  on  even  ground  with 
the  Mexicans  in  case  of  a  second  assault.  The  Americans  were  not 
long  in  suspense.  A  heavy  fire  from  all  the  neighbouring  ridges  and 
chaparral,  soon  announced  that  a  large  force  had  collected  to  dis 
pute  his  passage.  The  command  was  halted,  and  the  two  howitzers 
placed  in  a  position  to  rake  the  thickets.  A  furious  action  ensued, 
which  lasted  several  hours,  and  was  terminated  only  by  a  charge  into 
the  chaparral.  After  a  short  struggle,  the  Mexicans  retreated,  leav 
ing  behind  them,  in  killed  and  wounded,  about  one  hundred  men. 
The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  thirteen  killed  and  between  thirty  and 
forty  wounded.  Cadwalader  passed  the  bridge,  and  proceeded  on 
his  way  to  Jalapa. 

Colonel  De  Russy,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men,  was 
sent,  on  the  7th  of  July,  from  Tampico,  by  Colonel  Gates,  com 
mandant  at  that  place,  to  Huejutla,  to  ask  of  the  Mexican  general, 
Garay,  the  liberation  of  some  prisoners  of  war  entitled  to  release. 
On  reaching  a  point  eight  miles  from  Tantayuca,  and  one  mile  from 
the  Calabosa  river,  he  met  a  Mexican  Indian,  from  whom  informa 
tion  was  received  that  General  Garay  was  in  force  at  that  river,  and 
meditated  an  attack  upon  the  party.  Nearly  at  the  same  moment, 
shots  were  heard  in  advance,  the  Mexicans  having  fired  upon  and 
killed  Captain  Boyd,  leader  of  the  pioneer  party,  and  six  of  his  men. 


PIERCE    DEFEATS   THE    GUERRILLAS. 


499 


The  main  body  of  the  Americans  then  charged  the  enemy  in  three 
columns,  driving  them,  from  their  left  and  right,  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  where  they  formed  in  one  body.  In  this  position  the 
battle  continued  for  an  hour,  Captain  Wyse  gallantly  serving  the  only 
piece  belonging  to  the  company,  and  acting  with  the  greatest  cool 
ness  throughout  the  whole  engagement.  The  enemy  were  finally 
beaten  off,  and  the  Americans  commenced  their  retreat  toTantayuca. 
The  Mexicans  were  now  reinforced  by  numerous  small  parties  of 
citizens  and  guerrillas,  and  a  running  fight  ensued,  which  was  main-' 
tained  until  the  Americans  had  regained  their  magazine — a  distance 
of  twelve  miles.  On  arriving  at  Tantayuca  they  dispersed  a  force 
of  the  enemy  stationed  there,  and  entering  the  town,  provided  them 
selves  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  also  stripped  it  of  provisions 
and  other  stores. 

T  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a 
summons  for  capitulation  arrived 
from  General  Garay.  The  de 
mand  was  refused  ;  but  an  agree 
ment  was  made  to  meet  the  gene 
ral  in  the  plaza  at  ten  o'clock. 
Captain  Wyse  repaired  to  the 
place  at  the  time  appointed,  and 
waited  until  midnight  without 
receiving  any  intelligence  of  the 
Mexican  officer. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  13th,  the  Americans  left  their  camp,  and  marched  for  the 
Panuco  road  amid  a  heavy  rain.  At  ten  A.M.,  they  were  pursued 
by  the  Mexicans,  and  a  running  action  commenced,  and  was  con 
tinued  over  a  space  of  fifty  miles.  The  loss  of  the  Americans,  during 
the  whole  affair,  was  fifteen  killed,  ten  wounded,  and  three  missing ; 
that  of  the  enemy  is  unknown.  In  the  latter  end  of  June,  eight  of 
the  prisoners  confined  by  General  Garay  made  their  escape  to  the 
American  quarters. 

In  July,  General  Pierce  left  Vera  Cruz  to  join  Scott's  army,  having 
with  him  twenty-five  hundred  men,  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagons, 
se/en  hundred  mules,  and  one  million  dollars  in  specie.  At  the 
National  Bridge  he  was  attacked  by  fourteen  hundred  Mexicans,  and 
a  severe  battle  ensued,  which  terminated  in  the  defeat  of  the  enemy. 
Their  loss  was  one  hundred  and  fifty — that  of  the  Americans,  thirty 
killed  and  wounded.  After  returning  to  Vera.  Cruz  for  artillery  and 
reinforcements,  the  general  marched  forward,  and  reached  Puebla  on 
the  6th  of  August,  one  day  previous  to  Scott's  march  upoa  the  capital. 


LALLY  DEFEATS  THE  GUERRILLAS. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  a  party  of  Americans,  under  Major  Lally, 
was  attacked  near  the  National  Bridge,  by  the  guerrillas.  The  skir 
mish  was  severe,  the  major  being  attacked  in  front  and  rear,  and 
losing  many  men.  He  maintained  his  ground,  however,  with  vigour, 
and  finally  drove  off  the  enemy.  A  short  time  previous  to  this,  an 
engagement  had  taken  place  between  Captain  Ruff's  cavalry  and  the 
guerrillas,  in  which  he  was  eminently  victorious,  not  losing  a  man. 

These  attacks  of  the  guerrillas  kept  the  region  between  Vera  Cruz 
-and  Puebla  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm,  and  rendered  travelling,  ex 
cept  with  a  strong  escort,  in  the  highest  degree  dangerous.  The 
most  active  and  daring  of  these  partisans  was  the  celebrated  Father 
Jarauta,  a  priest,  who  had  organized  most  of  the  parties,  and  who 
seems  to  have  been  considered  as  their  general  leader.  Vigilant  ex 
ertions  were  made  to  capture  him  by  Captain  Walker,  and  General 
Patterson,  who  was  then  stationed  at  Vera  Cruz,  but  without  success ; 
and,  until  the  close  of  the  war,  he  continued  to  arm  and  lead  different 
bands,  whose  rapid  and  fearless  movements  rendered  his  name  a 
terror  in  that  neighbourhood. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


MARCH    TO    THE    CAPITAL,    AND    BATTLE    OF   CONTRERAS. 

ENERAL  SCOTT,  with  the  main  por 
tion  of  the  army,  remained  at  Puebla 
until  early  in  August,  when  he  pre 
pared  for  a  march  upon  the  capital. 
A  sufficient  garrison  was  left  in  the 
city  under  Colonel  Childs.     On   the 
7th,  Twiggs's  division,  preceded  by 
Harney's  brigade  of  cavalry,  moved 
for  the  capital;  and  was  followed,  on 
the  three  succeeding  days,  by  the  di 
visions  of  Quitman,  Worth,  and  Pil 
low,  the  corps  being  at  no  time  more 
than  five  hours'  march,  or  supporting 
distance,  apart.     On  the  first  day,  the  troops  entered  a  beautiful 
rolling  country,  of  great  fertility,  covered  with  gardens,  which  sup- 

(501) 


502  MARCH  TO   THE    CAPITAL. 

plied  the  inhabitants  with  food,  and  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains, 
capped  with  snow.  Among  these  Popocatapetl  and  Iscatapetl  were 
so  near  as  to  render  the  morning  and  evening  air  quite  chilly.  The 
fields  were  covered  with  the  beautiful  maguey  plant,  through  the 
rows  of  which,  as  the  road  gradually  ascended,  the  long  lines  of  sol 
diers,  followed  by  their  immense  baggage  train,  exhibited  a  noble 
spectacle.  The  second  day's  march  ascended  through  denies,  nar 
row  passes,  and  deep  chasms,  succeeded  by  thick  woods  of  the  finest 
forest  trees,  with  here  and  there  beautiful  little  lakes  embosomed 
among  quiet  valleys,  with  their  cool  deep  waters  glittering  in  the 
southern  sun.  On  the  third  day,  the  advance  reached  the  strong 
pass  of  Rio  Frio,  where  the  enemy  had  been  reported  in  force.  At 
this  place,  the  mountains  which  skirt  the  road  on  the  left,  close  upon 
it  for  about  a  mile,  overhanging  and  enfilading  it  completely,  and 
affording  excellent  coverings  for  an  enemy's  marksmen.  It  was 
passed  without  meeting  the  enemy,  and  the  troops  commenced  the 
ascent  of  the  ridge,  which  separates  the  plains  of  Puebla  from  the 
valley  of  Mexico.  After  winding  along  this  for  several  miles,  a  sud 
den  turn  in  the  road  brought  the  army  within  full  sight  of  the  vast 
plain  of  Mexico,  in  the  centre  of  which  lay  the  goal  of  ambition,  the 
object  of  so  many  fatiguing  marches,  with  its  lofty  cathedral,  its 
checkered  domes,  its  frowning  walls,  and  bright  embosoming  lakes. 
The  army  passed  the  night  in  sight  of  the  city. 

On  the  following  day,  the  troops  descended  into  the  great  valle} 
or  basin  of  Mexico,  the  different  divisions  approximating  more  closely 
than  they  had  done  in  any  part  of  the  march.  The  road  ran  through 
Lake  Chalco  and  Xochimilco  on  the  south,  and  Lake  Tezcuco  on  the 
north.  Close  to  the  latter,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  was 
the  isolated  mound,  called  El  Penon,  of  great  height,  strongly  forti 
fied,  by  a  triple  row  of  works,  and  flooded  around  the  base  by  sluices 
from  the  lakes,  and  heavy  rains.  It  is  eight  miles  from  the  capital, 
and  commands  the  advance  to  it,  from  the  east.  A  careful  reconnois- 
sance  of  this  place,  made  on  the  13th  and  14th,  convinced  Genera- 
Scott  that  an  attempt  to  carry  it,  even  if  successful,  would  be  attended 
by  great  and  disproportionate  loss,  and  have  a  chilling  effect  upon 
the  subsequent  battles,  anticipated  before  the  city  walls.  This  was 
confirmed  by  another  reconnoissance  upon  Mexicalzingo,  left  of  Penon, 
a  village  at  a  fortified  bridge  across  the  canal,  leading  from  Lake 
Xochimilco  to  the  capital.  This  could  have  been  carried  after  mask 
ing  El  Penon ;  but  on  the  other  side  of  the  bridge,  the  Americans 
would  have  found  themselves  on  a  narrow  causeway  four  miles  from 
the  road  flanked  on  the  right  and  left  by  boggy  grounds. 

These  difficulties  caused  the  general  to  abandon  the  idea  of  a  direct 


MARCH   TO   THE    CAPITAL. 


503 


City  of  Mexico,  from  the  Convent  of  San  Cosmo. 

march  upon  the  city,  and  to  avoid  the  eastern  defences,  by  passing 
round  the  western  and  southern  shores  of  Lakes  Chalco  and  Xochi- 
milco,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  and  mountains,  so  as  to  reach  the  vil 
lage  of  San  Augustin,  and  there  conduct  a  reconnoissance  upon  the 
city. 

Accordingly,  by  a  sudden  retrograde  movement,  the  army  com 
menced  its  march  on  the  18th,  Worth's  division,  with  Harney  in  ad 
vance,  composing  the  van.  Twiggs's  troops  were  left  at  Ayotla  until 
next  day,  in  order  to  threaten  Penon  and  Mexicalzingo,  so  as  to  de 
ceive  the  enemy  as  long  as  possible.  The  route  lay  over  a  field  of 
lava,  broken  into  rocks,  chasms,  and  deep  ravines,  many  of  which, 
on  account  of  the  rainy  season,  were  filled  with  water ;  but  notwith 
standing  these  difficulties,  the  advance  under  Worth  reached  San 
Augustin  on  the  18th.* 

*  The  march  of  the  American  army  around  Lake  Chalco  must  be  regarded  as  one  ot 
the  most  scientific  operations'  of  the  war.  Santa  Anna  had  good  reason  to  believe  that 
such  a  step  was  impossible,  and  few  generals  besides  the  American  commander  would 
have  attempted  it  The  reward  was  commensurate  with  the  labour  of  achievement ; 
for  besides  its  resulting  in  the  subsequent  glorious  battles,  it  enabled  our  army  to  escape 
the  terrible  batteries  of  Penon  and  Mexicalzingo,  the  first  of  which  mounted  fifty-three 
guns,  and  the  second,  thirty-eight.  General  Scott,  throughout  the  whole  of  this  splendid 
campaign,  exhibited  all  the  characteristics  of  a  most  able  commander-in-chief.  All  his 
dispositions  for  action  were  marked  by  the  most  consummate  science  and  ability  ;  but  in 
none  did  he  display  these  qualities  to  greater  advantage  than  in  the  arrangements,  fot 
the  final  attack  on  the  capital  and  its  defences. 


504 


DEATH    OF    CAPTAIN    THORNTON, 


WIGGS  marched  on  the  16th  from 
Ayotla  towards  Chalco,  a  small  town 
•situated  on  the  lake,  six  miles  from 
the  road.  Before  reaching  it  he 
met  a  corps  of  cavalry  and  infantry, 
more  than  double  his  numbers,  un 
der  command  of  General  Valencia. 
The  American  general  halted,  formed 
in  line,  and  opened  upon  them  from 
Captain  Taylor's  field- battery,  by 
which  many  of  the  cavalry  were 
killed  and  wounded,  and  the  remain 
der  dispersed.  Except  this  skir 
mish  the  army  experienced  no  fur 
ther  molestation  during  the  march, 
save  from  guerrillas  on  the  heights. 

A  little  north  of  San  Augustin,  is  the  village  of  San  Antonio,  which 
had  been  strongly  fortified  by  the  enemy,  with  field-works,  contain 
ing  heavy  guns,  and  a  numerous  garrison.  It  oould  be  turned  only 
on  the  left  by  infantry,  who  would  be  obliged  to  advance  over  a  field 
covered  with  volcanic  rocks  and  lava.  A  careful  reconnoissance 
evinced  that  the  point  could  be  approached  only  from  the  front  over 
a  narrow  causeway,  flanked  with  wet  ditches  of  great  depth.  To 
wards  evening,  while  Captain  Thornton  with  a  small  party  were 
examining  the  works,  a  masked  battery  opened  upon  them,  killed 
the  captain  and  wounded  his  guide. 

On  the  same  day  a  reconnoissance  was  commenced  to  the  left  of 
San  Augustin,  first  over  the  different  mound^  and  farther  on  over 
the  same  field  of  volcanic  rocks  and  lava,  which  had  been  partially 
traversed  in  the  route  around  Lake  Chalco.  This  was  continued  on 
the  19th  by  Captain  Lee,  assisted  by  Lieutenants  Beauregard  and 
Tower.  Other  divisions  coming  up,  Pillow's  was  advanced  to  make 
a  practical  road  for  heavy  artillery,  and  Twiggs's  thrown  farther  in 
front,  to  cover  that  operation.  These  movements  resulted  in  the 
battle  of  Contreras. 

San  Augustin,  at  which  the  American  army  was  then  stationed,  is 
a  small  village,  situated  on  the  road  leading  from  Southern  Mexico 
to  the  capital,  about  ten  miles  from  the  latter.  Being  in  the  north  of 
a  broken  volcanic  valley,  access  to  it  is  extremely  difficult,  and  the 
movement  of  cavalry  across  it,  impossible.  On  the  rocks  which 
border  the  wesfern  side  of  this  valley,  is  the  strong  post  of  Contreras, 
which  the  Mexicans  had  fortified  in  the  most  careful  manner,  and 
furnished  with  a  large  garrison.  About  the  same  distance  north  of 


BATTLE    OF   CONTRERAS. 


505 


Death  of  Captain  Thornton. 

San  Augustin,  and  on  the  same  road,  is  the  fortress  of  Churubusco, 
also  fortified  in  the  strongest  manner.  West  of  this,  and  on  the  road 
leading  to  Contreras  is  San  Angel,  and  east  of  it,  near  the  northern 
extremity  of  Lake  Xochimilco,  San  Pablo.  These  were  the  points 
of  attack,  during  the  great  battles  of  August  19th  and  20th. 

In  conformity  to  the  orders  of  the  general-in- chief,  General  Twiggs 
left  his  wagon  train  at  San  Augustin  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  and 
proceeded  with  his  division  across  the  mountain  route  reconnoitered 
by  Captain  Lee.  On  arriving  within  sight  of  Contreras,  a  rifle  regi 
ment,  under  Colonel  Loring,  was  ordered  forward  as  skirmishers,  to 
clear  the  ground.  This  was  done  safely  and  with  despatch.  After 
the  enemy's  pickets  had  been  driven  in  to  within  three  hundred  yards 
of  their  works,  Captain  Lee  placed  in  position,  Magruder's  battery 
and  the  mountain  howitzer  and  rocket  battery  of  Lieutenant  Callen- 
der.  No  sooner  had  this  been  done,  than  the  Mexicans  opened  a 
heavy  fire  from  several  of  their  large  guns.  The  Americans  an 
swered  with  both  batteries,  and  for  several  hours  a  severe  cannonade 
was  maintained,  which  proved  most  destructive  to  Twiggs's  troops. 
The  gallant  Lieutenant  Johnstone,  of  Magruder's  battery,  was  mor 
tally  wounded,  and  Lieutentant  Callender,  severely ;  and  so  great 
was  the  loss  of  artillerymen  and  officers,  that  the  batteries  were  at 
length  withdrawn,  and  placed  under  shelter.  General  Smith's  bri 
gade  was  now  ordered  to  advance  along  the  American  batteries,  and 
gain  a  position  in  the  enemy's  rear,  and  turn  the  position  of  San  An 
tonio.  The  troops  advanced  over  a  field  of  lava,  scarcely  passable, 
even  for  single  individuals,  until  they  came  within  range  of  the  Mexi- 
2U  64  • 


PLAN 

OF   THE 

BATTLES  OF  CONTRERAS  AND  CHURUBUSCO. 

AUGUST  19  and  20,  1847. 


Rl LEY'S  BRIGADE. 
CADVVALADER'S  BRIGADE. 
SMITH'S  BRIGADE. 
£HIELDS'S  BRIGADE. 
PIERCE'S  BRIGADE. 
POSITION  OF  U.  S.  TROOPS  19th. 

MAGRUDER'S  BATTERY. 
CALENDER'S         DO. 


POSITION  OF  RESERVE  13 
UNDER  GENU  SANTA  ANNA 


REFERENCES. 

A.  Duncan's  battery. 

B.  Taylor's        do. 

C.  Convent  Church. 

D.  Tete  de  Pont. 

E.  Churubusco,  Aug.  20. 

F.  F.  F.  Route  of  Shiwlds's  and  Pierce's  brigades. 

G.  G.  G.  Col.  Garland's  route  with  his  brigade. 
II.  Anseldo. 

I.  August  20. 

J.  J.  J.  Route  of  Clarke's  brigade. 

F.  Magdalena. 


TWIGGS'S  DIVISION. 
PILLOW'S  DIVISION. 
SHIELDS'S  BRIGAUfc. 
WORTH'S  DIVISION. 
MEXICAN  FORCES. 


508 


BATTLE    OF   CONTRERAS. 


General  Persifer  F.  Smith. 

can  batteries  ort  the  San  Angel  road.  These  immediately  opened 
'their  fire.  The  situation  of  the  Americans  was  one  of  difficulty  and 
exposure,  being  by  the  edge  of  a  field,  covered  with  lava  and  rocks, 
and  utterly  impassable,  even  to  a  single  footman.  This  was  half  a 
mile,  and  terminated  on  the  other  side,  in  a  slope  leading  down  into 
a  ravine,  whose  opposite  edge  was  flanked  by  the  San  Angel  road. 
Here  had  been  erected  the  strong  fortress  of  Contreras,  mounting 
twenty-two  guns,  and  garrisoned  by  seven  thousand  troops.  A  care 
ful  reconnoissance  disclosed  to  General  Smith,  that  he  was  advancing 
by  the  only  path  that  crossed  the  broken  bed  of  lava,  and  on  which 
the  enemy,  having  cleared  away  all  the  bushes  obstructing  their  view, 
were  prepared  to  receive  him.  The  guns  could  be  dragged  no  far 
ther,  and  the  infantry,  in  its  march  down  the  slope,  would  be  exposed 
to  a  terrible  fire,  without  knowing  whether  the  crossing  of  the  ravine 
below  was  possible.  In  this  dilemma,  with  his  brigade  isolated  from 
the  division,  Smith  resolved  to  abandon  the  direct  march,  and  try 
one  of  the  enemy's  flanks. 

In  order  to  cover  this  movement,  Captain  Magruder  opened  his 
fire  in  front,  while  a  select  company  of  infantry,  artillery,  and 
mounted  riflemen,  passed  behind  his  pieces  and  filed  off  towards  the 


BATTLE    OF    CONTRERAS. 


509 


Mexican  right.  After  crossing  a  rock  of  nearly  a  mile  in  length  with 
great  difficulty,  the  troops  descended  towards  the  village  of  Encelda, 
near  Contreras.  Here  they  were  greeted  with  the  sight  of  an  im 
mense  body  of  troops,  approaching  the  fort  from  the  capital,  and 
gradually  forming  on  the  slope  of  the  ravine,  at  the  opposite  side 
of  the  village.  An  immediate  action  was  now  anticipated,  but,  in 
stead  of  pausing,  the  Americans  continued  their  march,  crossing  two 
small  streams,  at  the  bottom  of  deep  and  difficult  gulleys,  and  enter 
ing  the  village.  Here  they  were  gratified  by  the  sight  of  four  regi 
ments  of  Pillow's  division,  under  General  Cadwalader,  who  imme 
diately  placed  himself  under  the  orders  of  General  Smith. 

HE  village  of  Encelda  is 
separated  from  the  main 
road  by  a  ravine,  through 
which  runs  a  small  stream 
of  water.  On  the  road,  and 
between  it  and  the  stream, 
are  a  garden  and  house,  sur 
rounded  by  a  high  and  tole 
rably  strong  stone  wall.  The 
village  is  intersected  by  nar 
row  lanes,  running  between 
high  dikes,  which  inclose 
gardens  of  trees  and  shrub 
bery,  and  in  the  centre  of  the 
whole  is  an  old  stone  church. 
As  the  trees  and  sides  of  the  lanes  afforded  excellent  protection  to 
the  soldiers,  General  Smith  drew  up  Cadwalader's  forces  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  village,  facing  the  enemy,  placed  the  3d  infantry 
and  rifles  in  column  on  their  right  flank,  garrisoned  the  church,  and 
stationed  Major  Dimick's  regiment  in  the  garden  on  the  road,  to 
secure  that  avenue  and  the  rear  of  the  brigade.  In  this  position,  the 
Americans  firmly  awaited  the  threatened  attack  of  the  enemy. 

The  latter  had  formed  opposite  the  village  in  two  lines,  the  in 
fantry  being  in  front,  and  the  cavalry  in  the  rear ;  the  whole  number 
ing,  probably,  two  thousand  men.  It  was  now  after  sunset,  and  the 
heavy  clouds  and  chilly  feeling  of  the  atmosphere,  foretold  a  severe 
storm.  Suddenly,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Americans,  Colonel  Riley, 
who  had  been  sent  by  Twiggs  to  favour  Smith's  movement,  arrived 
with  his  brigade.  He  had  crossed  the  ravine,  and  gone  up  towards 
Contreras,  driving  before  him  at  intervals  strong  parties  of  the  enemy. 
With  this  accession  to  his  force,  General  Smith  determined  to  be 
come  the  assailant,  and  accordingly  placed  Riley's  troops  in  column  on 


510 


BATTLE   OF    CONTRERAS. 


the  left,  and  Cadwalader's  on  the  right,  in  order  to  attack  the  enemy's 
right,  but  before  the  troops  could  be  disengaged  from  the  gardens 
and  thickets,  the  darkness  was  so  great  that  the  enemy's  line  could 
not  be  seen,  and  the  order  to  attack  was  countermanded.  General 
Cadwalader's  troops  again  took  position  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  vil 
lage  ;  Riley's  brigade  parallel  to  them  in  a  long  line  inside ;  the 
rifles,  under  Major  Loring,  on  his  right,  and  the  3d  infantry  in  the 
churchyard. 

The  night  was  a  terrible  one.  The  rainy  season  having  set  in 
some  time  before  the  arrival  of  the  American  army,  the  soil  had 
been  rendered  damp  and  marshy  by  excessive  rains,  and  the  crevices 
of  the  rocks,  as  well  as  the  numerous  ravines,  filled  in  many  places 
with  water.  These  formed  the  only  resting-places  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  troops,  in  addition  to  which  a  heavy  rain  fell  during  the 
evening  and  night  of  the  19th.  No  fires  were  kindled,  and  many  of 
the  soldiers  were  without  blankets ;  even  the  officers  remained  in  the 
field,  with  no  other  covering  than  their  military  coats.  The  air, 
which,  during  the  day,  had  been  somewhat  sultry,  was  now  cold  and 
piercing,  so  that,  altogether,  the  bivouac  preceding  the  battle  of 
Contreras  was  one  of  the  most  distressing  that  the  army  of  General 
Scott  ever  experienced  in  Mexico. 

OR  were  the  feelings  and  prospects  of  the 
soldiers  such  as  to  afford  them  much  en 
couragement  respecting  the  operations  of 
the  coming  day.  General  Smith's  men 
alone  were  surrounded,  except  in  the 
rear,  by  at  least  eighteen  thousand  troops, 
carrying  nearly  thirty  pieces  of  cannon, 
and  including  in  their  number  six  thou 
sand  cavalry.  They  themselves  num 
bered  but  three  thousand  three  hundred, 
destitute  of  both  cavalry  and  artillery. 
The  unsuccessful  attack  of  the  previous 
day  had  dispirited  the  whole  army,  and  rendered  the  most  active 
operations  on  the  part  of  General  Smith  necessary,  even  to  maintain 
his  position.  Should  he  be  forced  to  abandon  this,  the  entire  plan 
of  the  commanding  general  would  be  deranged,  and  the  moral  effect 
of  such  derangement  upon  the  army  would  be  most  unfortunate.  But, 
even  were  these  difficulties  removed,  could  General  Smith  success 
fully  defend  his  position,  this  would  do  but  little  towards  furthering 
the  designs  of  General  Scott,  since  the  enemy,  even  if  repulsed, 
would  be  at  full  liberty  to  withdraw  their  forces  and  direct  them 
upon  some  other  point.  On  the  other  hand,  an  attempt  to  act  offen- 


BA.TTLE    OF    CONTRERAS. 


511 


sively  would  leave  his  rear  exposed  to  the  whole  cavalry  force  then 
hanging  upon  it,  who,  in  case  of  a  successful  attack,  would  meet 
with  no  further  opposition  in  their  descent  upon  the  village. 

In  this  dilemma  General  Smith  adopted  the  plan  apparently  the 
most  desperate — that  of  marching  from  his  camp  before  daylight,  and 
renewing  the  attack  upon  Contreras.  Lieutenant  Tower  had  just 
arrived  from  a  reconnoissance  of  the  ravine  in  rear  of  that  fort,  and 
reported  that  he  thought  it  practicable,  in  that  direction,  for  the  ope 
rations  of  infantry.  The  enemy's  rear,  therefore,  was  chosen  as  the 
point  of  attack.  At  the  same  time  Captain  Lee,  of  the  engineers, 
volunteered  to  return  to  the  general-in-chief,  and  inform  him  of  the 
contemplated  movement,  as  well  as  solicit  a  diversion  to  favour  it 
and  protect  the  rear.  Three  o'clock,  A.  M.,  of  the  20th,  was  selected 
as  the  time  of  marching.  Silent  instructions  of  the  plan  and  order 
of  attack  were  communicated  to  the  officers  of  brigades,  with  direc 
tions  to  form  their  commands,  and  have  them  ready  for  marching  at 
half  past  two. 

The  arrangements,  both  for  march  and  assault,  being  thus  com 
pleted,  there  remained  to  the  general  no  further  source  of  anxiety 
save  the  defence  of  the  village.  From  this  .he  was  unexpectedly  re 
lieved  by  the  appearance  of  an  aid  to  General  Shields,  who  reported 
that  that  officer  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  in  command 
of  the  New  York  and  South  Carolina  volunteers. 

ENERAL  SHIELDS,  being  the 
superior  officer,  could  have  as 
sumed  immediate  command,  and 
acted  upon  Smith's  plan  as  though 
his  own.  But  this  he  generously 
declined  to  do,  reporting  himself 
to  his  brother  officer,  and  choosing 
the  important,  though  less  brilliant 
task,  of  defending  the  village  dur 
ing  the  contemplated  attack  on 
Contreras.  He  accordingly  re 
ceived  orders  to  hold  the  village 
of  Encelda  with  his  two  regiments, 

cutting  off  the  enemy's  retreat  from  the  fort,  or  opening  upon  the 
flank  of  their  reserve,  should  it  change  front  to  the  right,  in  order  to 
assail  the  American  camp. 

Just  at  three  o'clock  on  the  20th,  the  troops,  cold,  wet,  and 
hungry,  commenced  their  march  from  the  centre  of  the  village.  The 
rain  continued  without  intermission,  rendering  the  atmosphere  so 
dark  that  an  object  six  feet  off  could  not  be  seen,  and  the  rear  of  the 


512 


BATTLE    OF    CONTRERAS. 


column  was  prevented  from  going  astray  only  by  the  troops  marching 
within  touch  of  each  other.  Riley's  brigade  formed  the  van,  accom 
panied  by  Lieutenant  Tower,  who,  during  the  night,  had  again  re- 
connoitered  the  pass,  in  order  to  be  satisfied  of  the  practicability  of 
the  march.  Cadwalader  followed  Colonel  Riley,  and  the  rear  was 
brought  up  by  Smith's  own  brigade,  escorted  by  Lieutenant  G.  W. 
Smith,  of  the  engineer  company.  The  general  was  accompanied  in 
person  by  Lieutenants  Brooks  and  Beauregard,  of  the  engineers. 

Notwithstanding  the  weariness  of  the  troops,  and  their  miserable 
condition,  consequent  to  the  manner  in  which  the  night  had  been 
passed,  they  were  obliged  to  march  over  a  road  of  the  utmost  diffi 
culty,  jagged  by  stones  and  sharp  pointed  rocks,  whose  interstices 
were  filled  with  mud  and  water.  Although  the  march  commenced 
at  three  o'clock,  the  day  had  dawned  when  the  head  of  Cadwalader's 
brigade  passed  out  of  the  village  and  began  to  form  at  the  point  where 
the  path  descends  towards  the  ravine.  Owing  to  the  same  cause, 
the  command,  during  the  march,  was  extended  over  a  space  of  more 
than  three  times  its  length. 

THE  van  now  entered  the 
ravine,  proceeding  cautiously 
until  it  reached  a  point  from 
whence  a  charge  might  be 
made  upon  the  rear  of  the 
works.  Here  it  was  halted, 
the  rear  closed  up,  the  wet 
powder  drawn  from  the  small 
arms,  and  replaced  by  dry, 
and  Riley's  men  formed 
into  two  columns,  prepara 
tory  to  the  assault.  The 
colonel,  with  his  command, 
then  recommenced  his  march, 
winding  amid  the  crags  and 
gulleys  of  the  ravine,  until, 
turning  to  his  left  and  rising 
over  the  bank,  he  stood  in 
full  front  of  the  Mexican  rear, 
but  sheltered  from  its  fire  by  a  slight  acclivity.  His  ranks  being  in 
disorder,  he  again  halted,  reformed,  and  ascended  the  eminence. 
Here  the  whole  battle-field  broke  upon  his  view,  and  instantly  the 
booming  of  cannon  from  the  fort,  followed  almost  immediately  by 
rapid  discharges  on  his  rear,  showed  him  the  danger  through  which 
he  must  pass,  before  reaching  his  object.  This  was  the  critical  mo- 


Colonel  Riley. 


BATTLE    OF    CONTRERAS. 


513 


Storming  of  Contreras. 

ment.  Throwing  forward  his  first  two  divisions  as  skirmishers,  he 
shouted  to  his  men  to  follow,  and  rushed  towards  the  fort,  supported 
by  his  whole  command.  The  charge,  in  the  very  face  of  the  enemy's 
fire,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  actions  of  the  war ;  and,  as  the  re 
maining  troops  of  Smith's  command  watched  their  comrades,  they 
became  excited  to  a  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  which,  for  a  few  moments, 
defied  all  discipline.  The  enemy's  fire  seemed  to  increase  with  the 
danger,  until  at  length  the  position  of  the  fort  was  discernible  only 
by  the  thick  cloud  of  smoke  enveloping  it,  broken  here  and  there  by 
the  glare  of  cannon.  Through  this  murderous  storm  Riley  hurried 
his  shattered  column,  until  they  reached  a  cross  ravine,  close  to  the 
fort.  Across  this,  under  the  brow  of  its  slope,  the  rifles  and  en 
gineer  company  had  been  thrown,  so  as  to  check  the  detachments 
outside.  Here  Riley's  troops  prepared  for  the  decisive  struggle  wi*h 
the  bayonet,  and  rushing  forward,  were  soon  upon  the  enemy's  works. 
At  this  moment,  Cadwalader's  whole  force  was  moving  rapidly  to 
his  support.  Smith's  brigade,  under  Major  Dimick,  had  marched  ha 
the  same  direction ;  but,  on  arriving  nearly  opposite  the  fort,  that 
officer  observed  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  on  his  left  flank,  and  was 
ordered  to  change  his  route  and  attack  it.  This  was  done  in  the 
finest  style.  The  1st  artillery  and  3d  infantry  companies  mounted 
the  bank  of  the  first  ravine,  rushed  down  the  second  and  up  its  op 
posite  bank,  and  met  the  enemy  outside  of  the  work,  at  the  same 
moment  that  Riley's  brigade  poured  into  it.  At  such  unexpected 
good  fortune,  the  spirit  and  enthusiasm  of  the  assailants  rose  to  a 

65 


514 


BATTLE    OF    CONTRERAS. 


pitch  which  rendered  them  totally  insensible  of  danger.  Riley's 
charge  was  irresistible.  Every  battery  in  the  fort  was  silenced,  the 
enemy  were  driven  in  huge  masses  from  the  walls,  and  were  soon 
flying  from  the  gates  in  utter  confusion.  Meanwhile  their  cavalry, 
drawn  up  on  the  outside  for  a  charge,  were  attacked  by  Major 
Dimick's  troops  with  the  bayonet,  their  ranks  broken,  and  both  men 
and  horses  overwhelmed  in  irremediable  slaughter.  The  rout  was 
total.  Thousands  leaped  headlong  from  the  walls,  and  rushed  across 
the  fields  and  up  the  ravine,  throwing  from  them,  in  reckless  terror, 
arms  and  even  clothing. 

A  pleasing  incident  connected  with  the  capture  of  the  fort  deserves 
notice.  Scarcely  had  Riley's  colours  been  placed  upon  the  works 
than  the  4th  artillery  company  seized  upon  the  enemy's  cannon. 
The  very  first  pieces  they  laid  hands  on  were  two  of  those  taken 
by  Santa  Anna  at  Buena  Vista,  from  a  company  of  this  very  regiment. 
The  wild  joy  of  the  gallant  4th,  at  this  unlooked-for  good  fortune, 
was  beyond  all  control.  Cheers  as  if  another  victory  had  been  won 
burst  forth  again  and  again,  and  were  reiterated  by  the  whole  com 
mand  ;  while  many  could  scarcely  be  restrained  from  embracing  the 
guns,  for  which  they  had  so  long  mourned.  As  though  to  add  to 
the  hilarity  of  the  occasion,  General  Scott  arrived  soon  after,  and  re 
laxing  from  his  accustomed  dignity,  joined  heartily  in  the  shouts  of 
the  soldiers. 

HE  promptitude  of  Ge 
neral  Shields  in  cutting 
off  the  enemy's  retreat, 
which  he  accomplished 
by  a  fine  stratagem, 
contributed  in  no  little 
degree  to  the  complete 
success  of  Smith's  plan. 
The  assault  took  place 
"  not  more  than  half  a 
mile,"  "  says  the  lattei 
officer,  "  off  the  garden 
and  house  occupied  by 
a  part  of  General  Shields's  brigade,  placed  there  to  intercept  the 
enemy.  This  skilful  and  gallant  officer,  when  we  marched,  had 
spread  his  men  over  the  line  we  had  occupied,  and  directed  them 
to  make  fires  towards  daylight,  as  though  preparing  their  breakfast. 
The  enemy  in  front  had,  during  the  night,  placed  batteries  along 
their  line,  and  in  the  morning  moved  detachments  forward  to  take 
in  flank  the  attack  he  saw  we  were  meditating  the  night  before, 


BATTLE    OF   CONTRERAS.  515 

which  he  was  preparing  to  meet,  supposing,  from  the  indications  he 
found,'  that  we  were  still  in  force  in  the  village.  When,  after  day 
light,  he  saw  a  column  moving  on  Contreras,  (the  intrenched  camp,) 
and  already  prepared  to  turn  it,  he  must  have  supposed  we  had  been 
strongly  reinforced ;  for  his  movements  to  and  fro  indicated  great 
perplexity.  His  doubts  were  soon  resolved,  however,  by  the  loss  of 
Contreras,  (the  camp,)  and  he  immediately  commenced  a  hasty  re 
treat  along  the  top  of  the  hill,  inclining  towards  the  San  Angel  road. 
Shields's  force  (five  or  six  hundred  men)  having,  under  his  skilful 
direction,  thus  disposed  of  one  enemy,  he  turned  to  the  other,  who, 
in  their  flight,  found  themselves  intercepted  at  the  garden,  and,  under 
the  sure  fire  of  the  South  Carolina  regiment,  broke  away  over  the 
opposite  fields,  and  taking  shelter  in  the  ditches  and  ravines,  escaped, 
many  of  them,  to  the  rocks.  Two  squadrons  of  cavalry,  either  by 
chance  or  a  wise  design,  in  a  narrow  part  of  the  road  between  the 
wall  and  dike,  laid  down  their  arms,  and  so  choked  the  way  that  pur 
suit  was  interrupted  for  upwards  of  twenty  minutes ;  which  sufficed 
(we  having  no  cavalry)  for  the  safety  of  many  of  the  fugitives.  A 
large  body  escaped  upwards  towards  the  mountains." 

This  gallant  conduct  of  General  Shields  was  not  unattended  with 
danger  to  his  own  command.  In  speaking  of  the  event  of  the  battle, 
he  thus  describes  his  own  operations,  commencing  with  the  time 
when,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  he  marched  to  support  General 
Smith. 

"  Directing  my  march  upon  the  village  near  Contreras,  the  troops 
had  to  pass  over  ground  covered  with  rocks  and  crags,  and  filled 
with  chasms,  which  rendered  the  road  almost  impassable.  A  deep 
rugged  ravine,  along  the  bed  of  which  rolled  a  rapid  stream,  was 
passed,  after  dark,  with  great  difficulty  and  exertion ;  and  to  rest  the 
wearied  troops  after  crossing,  I  directed  them  to  lie  upon  their  arms 
until  midnight.  While  occupying  this  position,  two  strong  pickets, 
thrown  out  by  my  orders,  discovered,  fired  upon,  and  drove  back  a 
body  of  Mexican  infantry  moving  through  the  fields  in  a  direction 
from  their  position  towards  the  city.  I  have  since  learned  that  an 
attempt  had  in  like  manner  been  made  by  the  enemy  to  pass  the 
position  on  the  main  road  occupied  by  the  1st  regiment  of  artillery, 
and  with  a  like  want  of  success.  About  midnight  I  again  resumed 
the  march,  and  joined  Brigadier-General  Smith  in  the  village  al 
ready  referred  to. 

"  General  Smith,  previous  to  my  arrival,  had  made  the  most  juiii- 
cious  arrangement  for  turning  and  surprising  the  Mexican  position 
about  daybreak,  and  with  which  I  could  not  wish  to  interfere.  This 
cast  upon  my  command  the  necessity  of  holding  the  position  to  b« 


516 


BATTLE    OF   CONTRERAS. 


General  Shields. 


evacuated  by  General  Smith,  and  which  was  threatened  by  the  enemy's 
artillery  and  infantry  on  the  right,  and  a  large  force  of  his  cavalry  on 
the  left.  About  daybreak  the  enemy  opened  a  brisk  fire  of  grape 
and  round  shot  upon  the  church  and  village  in  which  my  brigade  was 
posted,  as  also  upon  a  part  of  our  own  troops  displayed  to  divert  him 
on  his  right  and  front — evidently  unaware  of  the  movement  in  pro 
gress  to  turn  his  position  by  the  left  and  rear.  This  continued  until 
Colonel  Riley's  brigade  opened  its  fire  from  the  rear,  which  was  de 
livered  with  such  terrible  effect,  that  the  whole  Mexican  force  was 
thrown  into  the  utmost  consternation. 

"  At  this  juncture,  I  ordered  the  two  regiments  of  my  command  to 
throw  themselves  on  the  main  road,  by  which  the  enemy  must  retire, 
to  inteicept  and  cut  off  his  retreat;  and,  although  officers  and  men 
had  suffered  severely  during  the  march  of  the  night,  and  from  expo 
sure  without  shelter  or  cover  to  the  incessant  rain  until  daybreak, 
this  movement  was  executed  in  good  order,  and  with  rapidity.  The 
Palmetto  regiment,  crossing  a  deep  ravine,  deployed  on  both  sides 
of  the  road,  and  opened  a  most  destructive  fire  upon  the  mingled 


RESULT   OF   THE   BATTLE. 


517 


masses  of  infantry  and  cavalry ;  and  the  New  York  regiment, 
brought  into  line  lower  down,  and  on  the  roadside,  delivered  its  fire 
with  a  like  effect.  At  this  point  many  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and 
wounded ;  some  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  captured,  of  which 
twenty-five  were  officers,  and  amongst  the  latter  was  General  Nicolas 
Mendoza. 

"  In  the  mean  while  the  enemy's  cavalry,  about  three  thousand 
strong,  which  had  been  threatening  our  position  during  the  morning, 
moved  down  towards  us  in  good  order,  and  as  if  to  attack.  I  imme 
diately  recalled  the  infantry,  to  place  them  in  position  to  meet  the 
threatened  movement ;  but  soon  the  cavalry  changed  its  direction 
and  retreated  towards  the  capital.  I  now  received  an  order  from 
General  Twiggs  to  advance  by  the  main  road  towards  Mexico  ;  and 
having  posted  Captain  Marshall's  company  of  South  Carolina  volun 
teers  and  Captain  Taylor's  New  York  volunteers,  in  charge  of  the 
prisoners  and  wounded,  I  moved  off  with  the  remainder  of  my  force, 
and  joined  the  positions  of  the  2d  and  3d  divisions,  already  en  route 
on  the  main  road.  On  this  march  we  were  joined  by  the  general- 
in-chief,  who  assumed  command  of  the  whole,  and  the  march  con 
tinued  uninterrupted  until  we  arrived  before  Churubusco. 

HE  reports  of  Mexican  officers  cap 
tured  in  this  battle,  left  no  doubt  that 
there  were  in  and  about  Contreras, 
prior  to  the  attack,  seven  thousand 
regular  troops,  under  the  command  of 
General  Valencia,  and  twelve  thou 
sand  in  front  of  Encelda,  (the  neigh 
bouring  hamlet,)  forming  a  reserve, 
under  Santa  Anna.  Their  loss  was 
seven  hundred  killed,  a  large  num 
ber  wounded,  and  fifteen  hundred 
prisoners,  including  several  generals. 
The  Americans  captured  twenty-two 
pieces  of  brass  ordnance — including 
four  Spanish  sixteen-pounders,  four  eight-inch  howitzers,  two  five 
and  a  half  inch  howitzers,  six  six-pounders,  and  six  smaller  pieces — 
together  with  seven  hundred  pack  mules,  a  large  number  of  horses, 
and  immense  quantities  of  shells,  ammunition,  and  small  arms.  The 
latter  were  destroyed." 

A  narrative  of  this  great  battle,  in  which  three  thousand  men,  with 
out  guns  or  cavalry,  drove  twice  their  number  from  a  fortress  con 
sidered   impregnable,  provided  with  every  requisite   of  defensive 
warfare,  and  seconded  by  a  reserve  often  thousand  troops,  would  be 
2X 


518 


SMITH'S  REPORT. 


\ 


General  Cadwaladcr. 


incomplete  if  destitute  of  a  meed  of  praise  to  both  officers  and  men 
of  the  assailants.  Such  tribute  is  afforded  by.  the  one  most  capable 
of  awarding  it — General  Smith  himself.  "The  troops,"  says  his 
report  of  the  battles  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco,  "  in  the  actions  in 
the  pedregal,  distinguished  themselves  far  beyond  my  capacity  to  do 
them  justice.  The  difficulties  they  overcame,  supposed  by  the  enemy 
to  be  insuperable,  the  hardships  they  endured,  and  the  fatigue  they 
suffered,  contrasted  with  the  manner  in  which  they  did  their  work, 
raises  their  character  as  soldiers  highly  towards  perfection. 

"Brigadier-General  Cadwalader  (in  the  morning)  brought  his 
corps  up  from  his  intricate  bivouac  in  good  order,  formed  the  head 
of  his  column  to  support  Riley's,  and  led  it  forward  in  the  most  gal 
lant  style  under  the  fire  directed  at  the  latter.  The  1st  brigade  was 
conducted  by  Major  Dimick,  who  charged  in  line  with  it  on  the 
enemy's  left,  driving  before  him  the  force  formed  there  outside  of  the 
works,  and  putting  to  rout  a  far  superior  force,  displaying  the  skill 
of  the  commander  as  well  as  the  bravery  of  the  soldier.  But  the 


SMITH'S  REPORT.  519 

opportunity  afforded  by  his  position  to  Colonel  Riley  was  seized  by 
that'  gallant  veteran  with  all  the  skill  and  energy  for  which  he  is  dis 
tinguished.  The  charge  of  his  noble  brigade  down  the  slope,  in  full 
view  of  friend  and  foe,  unchecked  even  for  a  moment,  until  he  had 
planted  all  his  colours  upon  their  farthest  works,  was  a  spectacle  that 
animated  the  army  to  the  boldest  deeds. 

"  Majors  Gardner  and  Brown,  4th  artillery,  at  the  head  of  .their 
regiment,  setting  an  example  by  their  own  courage,  carried  the  part 
of  the  work  before  them ;  and  Captain  Drum,  of  that  corps,  had  the 
good  fortune  to  recover  the  trophies  of  Buena  Vista.  Colonel  Plymp- 
ton  and  Major  Bainbridge,  with  the  7th  infantry,  as  that  veteran 
regiment  deserves  to  be  led,  and  Captain  Morris,  in  command  of 
the  2d  infantry,  brought  it  up  to  share  equally  with  the  others  in  the 
honours  of  the  successful  assault.  Captain  Alexander's  good  con 
duct  brought  his  regiment  up  most  effectively.  Major  Loring,  de 
tached  to  cover  Colonel  Riley's  left,  showed  not  only  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  value  of  his  arm,  but  the  courage  and  activity 
necessary  to  make  it  effective.  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Smith,  in  command 
of  the  engineer  company,  and  Lieutenant  McClellan,  his  subaltern, 
distinguished  themselves  throughout  the  whole  of  the  three  actions. 
Nothing  seemed  to  them  too  bold  to  be  undertaken,  or  too  difficult  to 
be  executed ;  and  their  services  as  engineers  were  as  valuable  as 
those  they  rendered  in  battle  at  the  head  of  their  gallant  men.  Lieu 
tenant  Foster,  being  detached  from  his  company  during  the  action  at 
Contreras,  did  not  fall  under  my  notice ;  but  in  the  actions  of  the 
19th,  and  at  Churubusco,  he  was  equally  conspicuous  for  his  gal 
lantry.  In  adverting  to  the  conduct  of  the  staff,  I  wish  to  record 
particularly  my  admiration  of  the  conduct  of  Captain  Lee,  of  the 
engineers.  His  reconnoissances,  though  pushed  far  beyond  the 
bounds  of  prudence,  were  conducted  with  so  much  skill,  that  their 
fruits  were  of  the  utmost  value — the  soundness  of  his  judgment  and 
personal  daring  being  equally  conspicuous.  Lieutenants  Beauregard 
and  Tower,  of  the  same  corps,  rendered  me  the  most  important  ser 
vices  in  examining  the  ground,  and  displayed  throughout  the  greatest 
personal  gallantry.  To  the  latter  I  am  indebted  for  the  knowledge 
of  the  route  by  which  it  was  practicable  to  turn  the  enemy's  works. 
The  accident  which  separated  the  different  parts  of  the  division  on 
the  evening  of  the  19th,  left  its  acting  assistant  adjutant-general, 
Lieutenant  W.  T.  H.  Brooks,  with  Colonel  Riley's  brigade,  and  on 
its  joining  me  he  offered  his  services  on  my  staff.  I  owe  him  my 
thanks  for  the  very  efficient  aid  he  rendered  me,  and  for  his  inde 
fatigable  energy  and  readiness  to  encounter  any  danger  or  difficulty ; 
his  personal  courage  and  coolness  were  brilliantly  displayed  in  the 


520 


REMARKS    ON    THE    BATTLE. 


course  of  the  day.  The  events  of  Fort  Brown,  Monterey,  Vera  Cruz, 
and  Cerro  Gordo  had  already  afforded  to  my  aid-de-camp,  Lieute 
nant  Earl  Van  Dorn,  opportunities  of  calling  forth  the  commendations 
of  his  commanding  officers.  He  has  not  let  pass  the  present  one  ; 
but  though  his  gallantry  was  again  shown  in  a  personal  conflict  with 
the  enemy,  it  is  far  from  being  the  highest  quality  of  a  soldier  that  he 
possesses."  Many  other  officers,  of  inferior  grade,  are  mentioned  by 
the  general  in  terms  of  the  highest  commendation. 

The  loss  of  the  army  within  Contreras  was  a  severe  blow  to  the 
Mexicans.  Not  only  was  their  numerical  force  diminished  by  nearly 
one-third,  but  the  greater  part  of  their  best  military  stores  were  lost, « 
besides  some  of  their  ablest  officers.  The  moral  effect  was  tremen 
dous.  Although  their  actual  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  taken, 
was  about  three  thousand,  yet  of  the  remainder  not  more  than  fifteen 
hundred  joined  Santa  Anna,  and  fell  back  on  Churubusco.  The  par 
tial  success  of  the  19th  had  inflated  the  pride  of  the  garrison,  and 
confirmed  them  in  their  former  belief,  that  the  works  were  impregna 
ble  ;  and  the  transition  from  this  fond  illusion  to  the  unexpected 
realities  of  the  20th,  was  overwhelming. 

ANTA  ANNA,  in  his  official  report  of  the 
action,  imputes  the  whole  blame  to  the 
commandant,  General  Valencia,  whom 
he  had  ordered  to  evacuate  Contreras, 
on  perceiving  that  the  American  army 
had  safely  eluded  El  Penon  and  Mexi- 
calzingo.  This,  Valencia  neglected  to 
do,  relying  on  the  strength  of  his  posi 
tion,  and  the  known  superiority  of  his 
garrison  in  point  of  numbers.  But  for 
this  disobedience  of  orders,  the  difficul 
ties  of  the  Americans  would  have  been 
seriously  augmented.  Even  after  so 
severe  a  blow,  dispiriting  as  it  was  to  the  remainder  of  Santa  Anna's 
army,  the  fortress  of  Churubusco  was  defended  most  obstinately ; 
and  the  addition  of  seven  thousand  troops,  led  by  Santa  Anna,  with 
twenty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  the  immense  stores  of  Contreras,  pre 
vious  to  the  occurrence  of  an  enervating  defeat,  would  have  thrown  a 
degree  of  energy  into  the  defence  of  the  first  position  which  would 
have  required  more  than  the  exertions  of  Smith's  and  Shields's  com 
mands  to  carry  it.  "  Had  Valencia,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  obeyed 
the  order  of  Santa  Anna,  sent  to  him  on  the  18th  August,  and  fallen 
back  to  Coyoacan  or  Churubusco,  with  his  seven  thousand  veteran 
troops,  twenty-two  large  cannon,  and  his  vast  stores  of  ammunition, 


1A/ 


REMARKS   ON   THE    BATTLE. 


521 


it  would  have  so  strengthened  Santa  Anna,  that  we  doubt  if  General 
Scott  could  ever  have  carried  this  latter  position.  As  it  was,  our 
army  encountered  a  fierce  and  destructive  opposition,  which  cost  us 
a  thousand  killed  and  wounded.  Our  army,  too,  but  for  the  victory 
of  Contreras,  would  have  exhausted  its  supply  of  ammunition,  before 
it  could  have  made  an  impression  on  the  enemy's  strong  position  at 
Churubusco.  But  the  capture  of  Contreras  supplied  the  whole  army 
with  abundant  stores  of  ammunition,  and  doubled  the  strength  of  our 
artillery. 

"  The  result  proved  the  sagacity  of  Santa  Anna ;  for  had  Valencia 
obeyed  the  order  to  evacuate  his  position,  we  doubt  if  our  army  would 
now  be  occupying  it. 

"  The  victory  of  Contreras  opened  to  our  army  the  road  to  the 
capital.  It  is  emphatically  the  great  battle  of  the  war.  Had  it  been 
a  defeat,  disgrace  and  ruin,  or  utter  annihilation  would  have  been 
the  fate  of  our  army." 

The  language  of  this  extract  is,  perhaps,  in  a  few  places,  rather 
strong ;  since  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  even  in  the  event  of  a 
repulse  before  Churubusco,  the  genius  of  General  Scott  would  have 
surmounted  every  difficulty,  aud  cut  his  way  into  the  capital.  It 
shows,  however,  the  light  in  which  the  victory  of  Contreras  was  re 
garded  by  the  army,  and  as  the  writer  justly  observes,  proves  the 
sagacity  of  Santa  Anna. 

URING  ,the  assault  upon  Con 
treras,  the  divisions  of  Worth 
and  Quitman  were  marching 
rapidly  to  Smith's  assistance. 
But  before  their  advance  bri 
gades  had  appeared  in  sight, 
the  battle  was  over,  and  Gene 
ral  Scott,  arriving  soon  after, 
ordered  them  both  to  their 
former  positions.  Worth  was 
to  attack  the  front  of  San  An 
tonio  with  his  whole  force  as 
soon  as  approached  in  the 
rear  by  Pillow's  and  Twiggs'3 
divisions — moving  from  Con 
treras  through  San  Angel  and 
Cayoacan.  By  carrying  San 
Angel,  a  shorter  and  better 
road  to  the  capital,  for  the  siege  trains,  would  be  opened. 

In  order  to  understand  the  movements  of  the  different  divisions 
2x2  66 


522  SCOTT'S  DESPATCH. 

subsequent  to  the  fall  of  Contreras,  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  the 
sketch  of  them  drawn  by  General  Scott,  and  afterwards  fill  it  up  by 
detailed  description.  "  The  two  advanced  divisions,"  says  the 
general-in-chief,  "  and  Shields's  brigade,  marched  from  Contreras 
under  the  immediate  command  of  Major-General  Pillow,  who  was 
new  joined  by  the  gallant  Brigadier-General  Pierce,  of  his  division, 
personally  thrown  out  of  activity  late  the  evening  before,  by  a  severe 
hurt  received  from  the  fall  of  his  horse. 

"After  giving  necessary  orders  on  the  field,  in  the  midst  of  pri 
soners  and  trophies,  and  sending  instructions  to  Harney's  brigade  of 
cavalry,  left  at  San  Augustin,  to  join  me,  I  personally  followed  Pil 
low's  command. 

"  Arriving  at  Coyoacan,  two  miles  by  a  cross  road,  from  the  rear 
of  San  Antonio,  I  first  detached  Captain  Lee,  engineer,  with  Captain 
Kearny's  troop,  first  dragoons,  supported  by  the  rifle  regiment,  under 
Major  Loring,  to  reconnoiter  that  strong  point;  and  next  despatched 
Major-General  Pillow,  with  one  of  his  brigades,  (Cadwalader's,)  to 
make  the  attack  upon  it,  in  concert  with  Major  General  Worth,  on 
the  opposite  side. 

"  At  the  same  time,  by  another  road  to  the  left,  Lieutenant  Ste 
vens,  of  the  engineers,  supported  by  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Smith's  com 
pany  of  sappers  and  miners,  of  the  same  corps,  was  sent  to  recon 
noiter  the  strongly  fortified  church  or  convent  of  San  Pablo,  in  the 
hamlet  of  Churubusco — one  mile  off.  Twiggs,  with  one  of  his  bri 
gades,  (Smith's — less  the  rifles,)  and  Captain  Taylor's  field  battery, 
were  ordered  to  follow  and  to  attack  the  convent.  Major  Smith,  senior 
engineer,  was  despatched  to  concert  with  Twiggs  the  mode  and 
means  of  attack,  and  Twiggs's  other  brigade,  (Riley's,)  I  soon  ordered 
up  to  support  him. 

"  Next  (but  all  in  ten  minutes)  I  sent  Pierce,  (just  able  to  keep  the 
saddle,)  with  his  brigade,  (Pillow's  division,)  conducted  by  Captain 
Lee,  engineer,  by  a  third  road,  a  little  farther  to  our  left,  to  attack 
the  enemy's  right  and  rear,  in  order  to  favour  the  movement  upon 
the  convent,  and  cut  off  the  retreat  towards  the  capital.  And, 
finally,  Shields,  senior  brigadier  to  Pierce,  with  the  New  York  and 
South  Carolina  volunteers,  (Quitman's  division,)  was  ordered  to 
follow  Pierce  closely,  and  to  take  the  command  of  our  left  wing. 
All  these  movements  were  made  with  the  utmost  alacrity  by  our  gal 
lant  troops  and  commanders. 

"Finding  myself  at  Coyoacan,  from  which  so  many  roads  conve 
niently  branched,  without  escort  or  reserve,  I  had  to  advance,  for 
safety,  close  upon  Twiggs's  rear.  The  battle  now  raged  "rom  the 
right  to  the  left  of  our  whole  line. 


SCOTT'S  DESPATCH.  5*23 

"Learning,  on  the  return  of  Captain  Lee,  that  Shields,  in  the  rear 
of  Churubusco,  was  hard  pressed,  and  in  danger  of  being  outflanked, 
if  not  overwhelmed,  by  greatly  superior  numbers,  I  immediately  sent, 
under  Major  Sumner,  2d  dragoons,  the  rifles  (Twiggs's  reserve)  and 
Captain  Sibley's  troop,  2d  dragoons,  then  at  hand,  to  support  oui 
left,  guided  by  the  same  engineer. 

"  About  an  hour  earlier,  Worth  had,  by  skilful  and  daring  move 
ments  upon  the  front  and  right,  turned  and  forced  San  Antonio- 
its    garrison,  no   doubt,  much  shaken  by  our  decisive  victory  al 
Contreras. 

"  His  second  brigade,  (Colonel  Clarke's,)  conducted  by  Captain 
Mason,  engineer,  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Hardcastle,  topographical 
engineer,  turned  the  right,  and  by  a  wide  sweep  came  out  upon  the 
high  road  to  the  capital.  At  this  point  the  heavy  garrison,  (three 
thousand  men,)  in  retreat,  was,  by  Clarke,  cut  in  the  centre ;  one 
portion,  the  rear,  driven  upon  Dolores,  off  to  the  right ;  and  the 
other  upon  Churubusco,  in  the  direct  line  of  our  operations.  The  1st 
brigade,  (Colonel  Garland's,)  same  division,  consisting  of  the  2d 
artillery,  under  Major  Gait,  the  3d  artillery,  under  Lieutenant-Colo 
nel  Belton,  and  the  4th  infantry,  commanded  by  Major  F.  Lee,  with 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan's  field-battery,  (temporarily,)  followed 
in  pursuit  through  the  town,  taking  one  general  prisoner,  the 
abandoned  guns,  (five  pieces,)  much  ammunition,  and  other  public 
property. 

"  The  forcing  of  San  Antonio  was  the  second  brilliant  event  of 
the  day. 

"  Worth's  division  being  soon  reunited  in  hot  pursuit,  he  was 
joined  by  Major-General  Pillow,  who,  marching  from  Coyoacan  and 
discovering  that  San  Antonio  had  been  carried,  immediately  turned 
to  the  left,  according  to  my  instructions,  and,  though  much  impeded 
by  ditches  and  swamps,  hastened  to  the  attack  of  Churubusco. 

"  The  hamlet  or  scattered  houses  bearing  this  name  presented, 
besides  the  fortified  convent,  a  strong  field-work  (tete  de  pont)  with 
regular  bastions  and  curtains,  at  the  head  of  a  bridge  over  which  the 
road  passes,  from  San  Antonio  to  the  capital. 

"  The  whole  remaining  forces  of  Mexico — some  twenty-seven 
thousand  men — cavalry,  artillery,  and  infantry,  collected  from  every 
quarter — were  now  in,  on  the  flanks  or  within  supporting  distance 
of  those  works,  and  seemed  resolved  to  make  a  last  and  desperate 
stand ;  for  if  beaten  here,  the  feebler  defences  at  the  gates  of  the  city — 
four  miles  off — could  not,  as  was  well  known  to  both  parties,  delay 
the  victors  an  hour.  The  capital  of  an  ancient  empire,  now  of  a 
great  republic ;  or  an  early  peace,  the  assailants  were  resolved  to 


524  SCOTT'S  DESPATCH. 

win.  Not  an  American,  and  we  were  less  than  a  third  of  the  enemy's 
numbers — had  a  doubt  as  to  the  result 

"  The  fortified  church  or  convent,  hotly  pressed  by  Twiggs,  had 
already  held  out  about  an  hour,  when  Worth  and  Pillow— the  latter 
having  with  him  Cadwalader's  brigade — began  to  manoeuver  closely 
upon  the  tete  de  pont,  with  the  convent  at  half  gun-shot  to  their  left. 
Garland's  brigade,  (Worth's  division,)  to  which  had  been  added  the 
light  battalion  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith,  continued  to  advance 
in  front  and  under  the  fire  of  a  long  line  of  infantry,  off  on  the  left 
of  the  bridge  ;  and  Clarke,  of  the  same  division,  directed  his  brigade 
along  the  road,  or  close  by  its  side.  Two  of  Pillow's  and  Cadwala 
der's  regiments,  the  llth  and  14th,  supported  and  participated  in 
this  direct  movement:  the  other  (the  voltigeurs)  was  left  in  reserve. 
Most  of  these  corps — particularly  Clarke's  brigade — advancing  per 
pendicularly,  were  made  to  suffer  much  by  the  fire  of  the  tete  de  pont, 
and  they  would  have  suffered  greatly  more  by  flank  attacks  from  the 
convent,  but  for  the  pressure  of  Twiggs  on  the  other  side  of  that 
work. 

"  This  well-combined  and  daring  movement  at  length  reached  the 
principal  point  of  attack,  and  the  formidable  tete  de  pont  was  at  once 
assaulted  and  carried  by  the  bayonet.  Its  deep  wet  ditch  was  first 
gallantly  crossed  by  the  8th  and  5th  infantry,  commanded,  respec 
tively,  by  Major  Waite  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Scott — followed 
closely  by  the  6th  infantry,  (same  brigade,)  which  had  been  so  much 
exposed  on  the  road — the  llth  regiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Graham,  and  the  14th  commanded  by  Colonel  Trousdale,  both  of 
Cadwalader's  brigade,  Pillow's  division.  About  the  same  time,  the 
enemy  in  front  of  Garland,  after  a  hot  conflict  of  an  hour  and  a  half, 
gave  way,  in  a  retreat  towards  the  capital. 

"  The  im  me  date  results  of  this  third  signal  triumph  of  the  day 
were,  three  field-pieces,  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  prisoners, 
much  ammunition,  and  two  colours  taken  at  the  tete  de  pont. 

"Lieutenant  J.  F.  Irons,  1st  artillery,  aid-de-camp  to  Brigadier- 
General  Cadwalader,  a  young  officer  of  great  merit,  and  conspicuous 
in  battle  on  several  previous  occasions,  received,  in  front  of  the  work, 
a  mortal  wound.  (Since  dead.)  As  the  concurrent  attack  upon  the 
convent  favoured,  physically  and  morally,  the  assault  upon  the  tete  de 
pont,  so,  reciprocally,  no  doubt,  the  fall  of  the  latter  contributed  to 
the  capture  of  the  former.  The  two  works  were  only  some  four  hun 
dred  and  fifty  yards  apart ;  and  as  soon  as  we  were  in  possession  of 
the  tete  de  pont,  a  captured  four-pounder  was  turned  and  fired — first 
by  Captain  Larkin  Smith,  and  next  by  Lieutenant  Snelling,  both  of 
the  8th  infantry — several  times  upon  the  convent.  In  the  same  brief 


SCOTT'S  DESPATCH.  525 

interval,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan  (also  of  Worth's  division)  gal 
lantly  brought  two  of  his  guns  to  bear,  at  a  short  range,  from  the 
San  Antonio  road,  upon  the  principal  face  of  the  work,  and  on  the 
tower  of  the  church,  which  in  the  obstinate  contest,  had  been  often 
refilled  with  some  of  the  best  sharp-shooters  of  the  enemy. 

"  Finally,  twenty  minutes  after  the  tete  de  pont  had  been  carried 
by  Worth  and  Pillow,  and  at  the  end  of  a  desperate  conflict  of  two 
hours  and  a  half,  the  church  or  convent — the  citadel  of  the  strong 
line  of  defence  along  the  rivulet  of  Churubusco — yielded  to  Twiggs's 
division,  and  threw  out  on  all  sides  signals  of  surrender.  The  white 
flags,  however,  were  not  exhibited  until  the  moment  when  the  3d 
infantry,  under  Captain  Alexander,  had  cleared  the  way  by  fire  and 
bayonet,  and  had  entered  the  work.  Captain  J.  M.  Smith  and  Lieu 
tenant  O.  L.  Shepherd,  both  of  that  regiment,  with  their  companies, 
had  the  glory  of  leading  the  assault.  The  former  received  the  sur 
render,  and  Captain  Alexander  instantly  hung  out  from  the  balcony 
the  colours  of  the  gallant  3d.  Major  Dimick,  with  a  part  of  the  1st 
artillery,  serving  as  infantry,  entered  nearly  abreast  with  the  leading 
troops. 

"  Captain  Taylor's  field-battery,  attached  to  Twiggs's  division, 
opened  its  effective  fire  at  an  early  moment,  upon  the  outworks  of 
the  convent  and  the  tower  of  its  church.  Exposed  to  the  severest 
fire  of  the  enemy,  the  captain,  his  officers  and  men,  won  universal 
admiration;  but  at  length  much  disabled,  in  men  and  horses,  the 
battery  was,  by  superior  orders,  withdrawn  from  the  action,  thirty 
minutes  before  the  surrender  of  the  convent. 

"  Those  corps,  excepting  Taylor's  battery,  belonged  to  the  brigade 
of  Brigadier- General  Smith,  who  closely  directed  the  whole  attack  in 
front,  with  his  habitual  coolness  and  ability;  while  Riley's  brigade — 
the  2d  and  7th  infantry,  under  Captain  T.  Morris  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Plympton,  respectively — vigorously  engaged  the  right  of  the 
work  and  part  of  its  rear.  At  the  moment  the  rifles,  belonging  to 
Smith's,  were  detached  in  support  of  Brigadier- General  Shields's  on 
our  extreme  left;  and  the  4th  artillery,  acting  as  infantry,  under 
Major  Gardner,  belonging  to  Riley's  brigade,  had  been  left  in  charge 
of  the  camp,  trophies,  &c.,  at  Contreras.  Twiggs's  division,  at 
Churubusco,  had  thus  been  deprived  of  the  services  of  two  of  its 
most  gallant  and  effective  regiments. 

"  The  immediate  results  of  this  victory  were  : — the  capture  of  seven 
field-pieces,  some  ammunition,  one  colour,  three  generals,  and  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-one  prisoners,  including  other  officers. 

"Captains  E.  A.  Capron  and  M.  J.  Burke,  and  Lieutenant  S. 
Hoffman,  all  of  the  1st  artillery,  and  Captain  J.  W.  Anderson  and 


526 


SCOTT'S  DESPATCH. 


Lieutenant  Thomas  Easley,  both  of  the  2d  infantry — five  officers  of 
great  merit — fell  gallantly  before  this  work. 

"  The  capture  of  the  enemy's  citadel  was  the  fourth  great  achieve 
ment  of  our  arms  in  the  same  day. 

"  It  has  been  stated  that,  some  two  hours  and  a  half  before,  Pierce's 
followed  closely  by  the  volunteer  brigade — both  under  the  command 
of  Brigadier-General  Shields — had  been  detached  to  our  left  to  turn 
the  enemy's  works ; — to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  garrisons  and  to 
oppose  the  extension  of  the  enemy's  numerous  corps,  from  the  rear, 
upon  and  around  our  left. 

"  Considering  the  inferior  numbers  of  the  two  brigades,  the  objects 
of  the  movement  were  difficult  to  accomplish.4  Hence  the  reinforce 
ment  (the  rifles,  &c.)  sent  forward  a  little  later. 

N  a  winding  march  of  a 
mile  around  to  the  right, 
this  temporary  division 


found  itself  on  the  edge  of 
an  open  wet  meadow,  near 
the  road  from  San  Antonio 
to  the  capital,  and  in  the  presence  of 
some  four  thousand  of  the  enemy's  in 
fantry,  a  little  in  rear  of  Churubusco, 
HI  on  that  road.  Establishing  the  right  at 
a  strong  building,  Shields  extended  his 
left,  parallel  to  the  road,  to  outflank  the  enemy  towards  the  capital. 
But  the  enemy  extending  his  right,  supported  by  three  thousand 
cavalry,  more  rapidly,  (being  favoured  by  better  ground,)  in  the  same 
direction,  Shields  concentrated  the  division  about  a  hamlet,  and  de 
termined  to  attack  in  front.  The  battle  was  long,  hot,  and  varied  j 
but  ultimately,  success  crowned  the  zeal  and  gallantry  of  our  troops, 
ably  directed  by  their  distinguished  commander,  Brigadier-General 
Shields.  The  9th,  12th,  and  15th  regiments,  under  Colonel  Ransom, 
Captain  Wood,  and  Colonel  Morgan,  respectively,  of  Pierce's  bri 
gade,  (Pillow's  division,)  and  the  New  York  and  South  Carolina 
volunteers,  under  Colonels  Burnett  and  Butler,  respectively,  of 
Shields's  own  brigade,  (Quitman's  division,)  together  with  the  moun 
tain  howitzer  battery,  now  under  Lieutenant  Reno,  of  the  ordnance 
corps,  all  shared  in  the  glory  of  this  action — ou*  fifth  victory  in  the 
same  day. 

"  Brigadier-General  Pierce,  from  the  hurt  of  the  evening  before — 
under  pain  and  exhaustion — fainted  in  the  action.  Several  other 
changes  in  command  occurred  on  this  field.  Thus  Colonel  Morgan 
oeing  severely  wounded,  the  command  of  the  15th  infantry  devolved  on 


SCOTT'S  DESPATCH.  527 

Lieutenant-Colohel  Howard ;  Colonel  Burnett  receiving  a  like  wound, 
the  command  of  the  New  York  volunteers  fell  to  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Baxter ;  and,  on  the  fall  of  the  lamented  Colonel  P.  M.  Butler — 
earlier  badly  wounded,  but  continuing  to  lead  nobly  in  the  hottest 
•part  of  the  battle — the  command  of  the  South  Carolina  volunteers 
devolved — first  on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dickinson,  who  being  severely 
wounded,  (as  before  in  the  seige  of  Vera  Cruz,)  the  regiment  ulti 
mately  fell  under  the  orders  of  Major  Gladden. 

"Lieutenants  David  Adams  and  W.  R.  Williams,  of  the  same 
corps ;  Captain  Augustus  Quarles,  and  Lieutenant  J.  B.  Goodman, 
of  the  15th,  and  Lieutenant  E.  Chandler,  New  York  volunteers — all 
gallant  officers,  nobly  fell  in  the  same  action. 

"Shields  took  three  hundred  and  eighty  prisoners,  including 
officers ;  and  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  rage  of  the  conflict  be 
tween  him  and  the  enemy,  just  in  the  rear  of  the  tete  de  pont  and  the 
convent,  had  some  influence  on  the  surrender  of  those  formidable 
defences. 

"  As  soon  as  the  tete  de  pont  was  carried,  the  greater  part  of  Worth's 
and  Pillow's  forces  passed  that  bridge  in  rapid  pursuit  of  the  flying 
enemy.  These  distinguished  generals,  coming  up  with  Brigadier- 
General  Shields,  now  also  victorious,  the  three  continued  to  press 
upon  the  fugitives  to  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  capital.  Here, 
Colonel  Harney,  with  a  small  part  of  his  brigade  of  cavalry,  rapidly 
passed  to  the  front,  and  charged  the  enemy  up  to  the  nearest  gate. 

"  The  cavalry  charge  was  headed  by  Captain  Kearny,  of  the  1st 
dragoons,  having  a  squadron,  with  his  own  troop,  that  of  Captain 
McReynolds,  of  the  3d — making  the  usual  escort  to  general  head 
quarters  ;  but,  being  early  in  the  day  attached  for  general  service, 
was  now  under  Colonel  Harney's  orders.  The  gallant  captain  not 
hearing  the  recall  that  had  been  sounded,  dashed  up  to  the  San 
Antonio  gate,  sabreing,  in  his  way,  all  who  resisted.  Of  the  seven 
officers  of  the  squadron,  Kearny  lost  his  left  arm  ;  McReynolds  and 
Lieutenant  Lorimer  Graham  were  both  severely  wounded,  and  Lieu 
tenant  R.  S.  Ewell,  who  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  escort, 
had  two  horses  killed  under  him.  Major  F.  D.  Mills,  of  the  15th 
infantry,  a  volunteer  in  this  charge,  was  killed  at  the  gate. 

"  So  terminated  the  series  of  events  which  I  have  but  feebly  pre 
sented.  My  thanks  were  freely  poured  out  on  the  different  fields — 
to  the  abilities  and  science  of  generals  arid  other  officers — to  the 
gallantry  and  prowess  of  all — the  rank  and  file  included.  But 
a  reward  infinitely  higher — the  applause  of  a  grateful  country 
and  government — will,  I  cannot  doubt,  be  accorded,  in  due  time, 
to  so  much  merit,  of  every  sort,  displayed  by  this  glorious  army, 


528 


WORTHS    DIVISION. 


which  has  now  overcome  all  difficulties — distance,  climate,  ground, 
fortifications,  numbers." 

N  order  to  have  a  proper  appreciation  of 
the  numerous  and  complicated  movements 
thus  systematically  sketched,  it  will  be  ne 
cessary  to  describe  each  in  the  order  de 
tailed,  as  far  as  it  can  be  done  without  too 
much  isolating  events,  which  were  mutu 
ally  dependent  in  effect,  and  simultaneous 
in  point  of  time.  In  a  single  charge,  like 
that  of  Colonel  Riley,  or  even  in  the  con 
centrated  efforts  of  an  army,  in  open 
field,  there  is  little  danger  of  error  or  con 
fusion  in  the  description.  But  when  an 
army  is  dissected  into  numerous  columns, 
crossing  and  recrossing  each  other,  over 
the  most  aggravating  ground,  and  storming  intricate  chains  of  works, 
where  every  building  is  a  fort,  and  victory  is  won  only  when  the 
very  last  work  is  carried,,  even  the  eye  witness,  unless  he  be  a  mili 
tary  genius  of  the  first  order,  is  incapable  of  forming  a  purely  system 
atic  opinion  of  the  scene  before  him.  Notwithstanding,  therefore, 
the  utmost  care  on  the  part  of  the  historian,  our  description  must  be 
somewhat  faint  and  imperfect.  The  safest  course  then — that  which 
has  hitherto  been  exclusively  pursued  in  our  descriptions  of  battles — 
is  to  describe  each  important  incident  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
order  of  its  occurrence,  basing  the  description  entirely  on  the  reports 
of  the  American  commanders. 

As  early  as  the  18th  instant,  General  Worth  had  taken  position, 
with  his  division,  on  the  causeway  leading  to  San  Antonio,  within 
fifteen  hundred  yards  of  its  fortified  front.  The  reconnoissance  of 
that  evening,  in  the  course  of  which  Captain  Thornton  was  killed, 
has  already  been  mentioned.  Its  object  was  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
a  route  for  turning  the  entire  system  of  defense  by  the  enemy's  right. 
This  was  satisfactorily  accomplished  on  the  following  morning,  and 
at  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.  the  division  commenced  its  movement  to 
wards  the  fortress.  The  van  was  conducted  by  Colonel  Clarke,  who 
was  followe-d  by  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith,  the  whole  under 
the  guidance  of  Captain  Mason  and  Lieutenant  Hardcastle  of  the 
engineers.  The  troops  took  such  a  direction  as  to  envelope  the 
Mexican  right,  and  at  the  same  time  be  in  position  to  cut  off  any 
attempted  retreat  towards  the  capital. 

While  Worth  was  conducting  these  movements  in  front  of  San 
Antonio,  General  Pillow  approached  its  rear  from  Contreras.  After 


WORTH'S  REPORT.  529 

marching  as  rapidly  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  permit,  he 
halted  at  Coyoacan,  in  order  to  await  the  arrival  of  General  Scott. 
Here  it  was  ascertained  that  the  enemy,  on  discovering  the  loss  of 
Contreras,  had  abandoned  San  Antonio,  lest  their  rear  would  be  ex 
posed,  and  fallen  back  upon  Churubusco.  Another  strong  position 
was  thus  surrendered  to  the  Americans,  affording  them  advantages 
which  they  were  not  slow  in  improving.  Twiggs  immediately  re 
ceived  orders  to  move  forward  with  his  division,  and  attack  the  work 
on  the  enemy's  right ;  and  Pillow  to  assault,  with  Cadwalader's  bri 
gade,  the  tete  de  pont  (a  strong  fort  on  the  bridge)  on  the  left.  The 
troops  having  to  pass  over  marshy  fields  and  deep  ditches  filled  with 
mud  and  water,  rendered  the  execution  of  these  commands  very  diffi 
cult.  The  perseverance  of  both  officers  and  men  finally  overcame 
these  obstacles,  and  the  two  commands  safely  reached  the  causeway, 
where  they  came  in  sight  of  General  Worth,  with  the  advance  of  his 
division,  marching  to  attack  the  same  work. 

The  operations  of  this  gallant  officer,  in  the  field  before  San  An 
tonio,  together  with  his  attack  upon  Churubusco  and  San  Pablo,  are 
thus  described  by  himself: 

"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan's  artillery  (light  battery)  and  the  1st 
brigade,  composed  of  the  2d  and  3d  artillery  and  4th  infantry,  com 
manded  by  Brevet  Colonel  Garland,  was  advanced  to  an  angle  in  the 
causeway  which  partially  masked  it  from  the  enemy's  direct  fire,  and 
held  in  readiness  for  a  rapid  direct  movement  when  tfce  2d  brigade 
should  become  engaged  and  have  attracted  attention  to  that  quarter. 
Subsequently,  the  4th  infantry  was  placed  on  the  left  of  the  cause 
way,  and  instructed  to  move  by  a  flank,  under  guidance  of  Assistant 
Adjutant-General  Mackall,  between  that  route  and  the  2d  brigade, 
either  to  sustain  the  latter,  or,  if  opportunity  offered,  rush  upon  one 
of  the  batteries.  Discovering  these  dispositions,  and  particularly  the 
movement  of  the  2d  brigade,  and  doubtless  somewhat  influenced  by 
the  operations  going  on  in  the  direction  of  Contreras,  the  enemy  sent 
troops  to  check  the  advance  of  our  left,  and  commenced  an  evacua 
tion  of  the  works. 

"  After  having  brushed  away  the  troops  in  front,  Colonel  Clarke's 
command  approached  a  point  on  the  high  road  occupied  by  the  ene 
my's  retreating  column,  and  by  a  rapid  movement,  particularly  of 
two  companies  of  the  5th  infantry,  under  Captains  Morril  arid 
McPhail,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Scott,  guided  by  Cap 
tain  Mason,  cut  this  column  nearly  in  the  centre — the  advanced  por 
tion  of  it  moving  upon  Churubusco,  (where  we  shortly  afterwards 
discovered  the  enemy's  main  array  of  battle,)  and  the  remainder, 
about  two  thousand  in  number,  under  General  Bravo,  with  four 
2Y  67 


530  WORTH'S  REPORT. 

pieces  of  artillery,  retreated  upon  Dolores.     The  instant  Clarke's 
fire  opened,  Garland  was  instructed  to  advance  rapidly  in  column, 
and  attempt  a  direct   assault,  previously  detaching  a  company  in 
advance,  which,  by  drawing  the  enemy's  fire,  might  discover  the 
magnitude  of  his  batteries  in  that  quarter;  but  it  appeared  that  the 
guns  at  that  point  had  been  hastily  withdrawn  in  the  hope  of  getting 
them  away.     Garland's  column  was  soon  in,  unresisted,  and  rapidly 
passed  through  the  works,  and  on  the  high  road  to  the  capital.    Some 
six  hundred  yards  beyond  the  works,  the  division  was  reunited,  and, 
disregarding  the  force  retreating  upon  Dolores,  the  whole  moved 
rapidly  and  in  good  oro^er  to  the  higher  object.    Approaching  Churu- 
busco — that  place  being  on  the  left,  and  near  the  road — it  was  dis 
covered  to  be  strongly  occupied  with  troops,  and  protected  by  bat 
teries  and  infantry  defences.     Farther  in  advance  was  discovered'  a 
regular  field-work,  garnished  with  heavy  guns  and  crowded  with 
troops.     Between  the  two,  a  continuous  line  of  infantry ;  and  on  the 
left  and  rear  of  the  work,  (tete  de  pont,)  a  dense  line  of  infantry  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.     On  getting  within  cannon-shot,  and  so  of 
musketry,  the  enemy  opened  with  effect  upon  the  head  of  the  lead 
ing  battalion.     Garland's  brigade  was  now  thrown  promptly  to  the 
right  of,  and  in  line  of  columns  obliquely  to,  the  road ;  which  order 
would,  in  its  advance  and  deployment,  strike  the  enemy's  line  at  a 
like  angle — the  light  battalion  on  its  right.     The  2d  brigade  was 
ordered  to  nftve  also  to  the  right,  (except  the  6th  infantry,)  and  by  a 
flank  parallel  to  the  road,  while  the  6th  infantry  was  directed  to  ad 
vance  by  the  high  road  and  storm  the  tete  de  pont  in  front.     The 
field  to  the  right  was  filled  with  standing  corn,  which  masked  large 
bodies  of  the  enemy,  and  from  whose  fire,  in  consequence,  every 
command  suffered  greatly  in  the  first  instance.     Running  over  these, 
Garland's  brigade  was  soon  engaged  with  their  more  regular  lines 
and  masses.     Clarke's,  as  soon  as  it  could  be  got  in  the  position 
above  described — and  it  came  at  double-quick  time — became  engaged 
in  like  manner. 

"  The  6th  regiment  of  infantry  moved  with  a  steadiness  worthy  of 
its  established  reputation,  to  assault  the  work  in  front,  as  directed ; 
but  being  exposed  to  a  combined  fire  of  grape,  canister,  and  mus» 
ketry,  which  raked  the  road,  it  was  of  necessity  momentarily  checked 
Meantime,  the  8th  and  5th  of  Clarke's  brigade,  more  favourably  situ 
ated  to  effect  results,  but  under  a  terrible  fire,  dashed  past  the  deep 
and  wet  ditch  that  entirely  surrounded  the  work,  carried  it  by  the 
bayonet,  and,  as  quick  as  thought,  turned  the  captured  cannon  upon 
that  portion  of  the  enemy  stationed  in  the  town,  and  which  was  com 
bating  our  troops  approaching  from  the  direction  of  Contreras,  occa- 


WORTH'S  REPORT.  531 

sionally  reversing  their  fire  upon  our  left  flank.  Previous  to  this 
period,  and  when  in  the  act  of  giving  direction  to  the  battalions,  I 
was  joined  by  Major-General  Pillow,  who  came  in  from  the  left  with 
three  regiments  of  his  division — Cadwalader's  brigade — having  with 
great  difficulty  made  his  way  through  the  marshes;  thence  to  the 
close  of  the  day,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  his  gallant  association  aird 
assistance.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan's  battery  of  light  artillery 
which  had  been  directed  to  be  masked,  being  unable  to  counter- 
batter  the  heavier  metal  in  front,  and  the  intersected  character  of  the 
ground  rendering  it  impossible  to  move  it  from  the  high-road,  was 
now  rapidly  advanced  by  its  gallant  commander,  and  opened  at  a 
position  some  two  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  work  around  the 
church  of  San  Pablo,  situated  in,  and  constituting  the  key  of,  that 
portion  of  the  enemy's  defences ;  seizing  the  prolongation  of  a  prin 
cipal  face,  in  a  space  of  five  minutes,  by  a  fire  of  astonishing  rapidity, 
the  enemy  was  driven  from  his  guns  in  that  quarter,  and  the  infantry 
from  their  intrenchments ;  the  main  body  taking  refuge  in  the  church 
and  under  cover  of  its  yard  walls.  The  fire  was  then  turned  upon 
the  church,  and  after  a  few  rounds,  several  white  flags  were  thrown 
out  by  the  enemy,  the  fire  ordered  to  cease,  and  an  officer  despatched 
to  accept  the  surrender  of  the  place.  To  this  period  there  had  been 
no  perceptible  abatement  of  the  fire  from  the  town  in  the  direction 
of  our  troops  attacking  the  opposite  face.  Immediately  thereafter, 
our  troops  in  the  vicinity  pushed  on  to  the  point  where  portions  of 
Garland's  and  Clarke's  brigades  were  yet  engaged  in  hand-to-hand 
conflicts  with  the  masses  of  infantry  on  the  left  and  rear  of  the  cap 
tured  field-work  first  referred  to ;  but,  under  the  triple  influence  of 
our  musketry,  the  capture  of  the  tete  de  pont,  and  the  silencing  of  the 
fire  in  the  town,  (directed  upon  other  divisions  of  our  army,)  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy  was  soon  discovered  to  be  in  full  and  confused 
retreat.  Pressing  along  the  highway  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  the 
division  was  soon  intersected  by  the  brigade  of  General  Shields  ap 
proaching  from  the  left,  with  the  remainder  of  his  brave  command, 
consisting  of  the  South  Carolina  and  New  York  regiments,  and  also 
by  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Graham,  with  the  small  remains 
of  his  battalion  of  the  llth  regiment  of  infantry.  These  were  a  por 
tion  of  the  main  army  assaulting,  in  the  opposite  direction  of  the 
town,  the  right  and  reserve  of  the  enemy,  under  the  immediate  direc 
tion  of  the  general-in-chief.  The  pursuit  of  the  enemy  by  the  first 
division,  acting  in  concert  and  cordial  co-operation  with  these 
forces,  was  continued  to  within  one  mile,  and  a  half  of  the  gate  of 
Mexico,  (La  Candelaria.)  At  this  point,  ignorant,  first,  of  the  mag 
nitude  of  the  defences  at  the  garita,  and,  secondly,  of  the  ulterior 


532 


WORTHS   REPORT. 


The  Storming  of  Churubusco. 

views  of  the  general-in-chief,  I  ordered  a  halt  of  the  united  forces, 
after  consulting  with  Major-General  Pillow  and  Brigadier-General 
Shields.  Colonel  Harney,  coming  up  at  this  instant  with  two  squad 
rons  of  cavalry,  was  permitted  to  make  a  dash  at  the  rear  of  the 
enemy's  retiring  forces.  In  the  eager  pursuit,  the  head  of  the  column 
pressing  on  too  closely,  and  disregarding  or  not  hearing  their  com 
mander's  recall,  came  under  the  fire  of  the  battery,  and  suffered 
severely.  The  ground  on  which  the  troops  operated,  off  the  high 
road,  is  remarkably  intersected ;  loose  soil,  growing  grain,  and,  at 
brief  intervals,  deep  ditches  for  the  purpose  of  drainage  and  irrigat 
ion.  These  ditches  vary  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  depth,  about  the 
same  in  width,  with  from  three  to  four  feet  of  water — the  reverse 
banks  lined  with  the  enemy's  light  troops." 

It  should  be  remembered  that  nearly  all  these  operations  were  con 
ducted  at  different  points  of  the  field,  during  the  same  time.  The 
whole  battle-ground,  from  the  capture  of  Contreras  until  the  final 
retreat  of  the  enemy,  presented  one  of  the  most  exciting  spectacles 
ever  witnessed  on  the  American  continent.  More  than  forty  thou 
sand  troops  were  engaged  in  close  conflict,  on  foot  and  on  horseback, 
sometimes  in  the  open  field,  and  at  other  times  behind  breastworks 
of  the  strongest  construction.  While  Pillow  approached  the  fortress 
on  one  side,  Worth's  troops  were  sweeping  along  the  causeway  on 
the  other ;  while  in  the  intermediate  spaces,  Generals  Twiggs,  Shields, 
and  their  companions  were  hurrying  along  masses  of  reinforcements. 
Sometimes  the  shouts  of  soldiers  and  rumbling  of  artillery  could  be 


PURSUIT   OF   THE   ENEMY.  533 

heard  ringing  clearly  across  the  plains ;  and  then  in  a  few  moments 
every  other  sound  would  be  swallowed  up  in  the  loud  roaring  of  op 
posing  batteries.  Through  storms  of  iron  hail,  which  scattered  death 
on  all  sides,  the  Americans  rushed,  while  conducting  their  charges, 
upon  the  cathedral  and  neighbouring  buildings  of  Churubusco.  The 
final  assault  was  conducted  in  the  spirit  of  fearless  impetuosity  cha 
racteristic  of  the  American  soldier — brilliant  to  behold,  but  terrible 
to  the  enemy. 

Its  effect  upon  the  Mexicans  was  decisive.  Abandoning  every 
thing,  they  fled  in  distressing  confusion  towards  the  city,  treading  each 
other  down  in  their  hurry  and  terror.  And  when  among  their  terri 
fied  shrieking  masses,  broke  like  an  avalanche,  the  dragoons  of  Har- 
ney,  the  uproar  and  slaughter  were  terrific.  Some  were  .ridden  down, 
others  killed  by  a  stroke  of  the  sabre,  numbers  rolled  down  amid 
the  rugged  passes,  and  others  were  crushed  into  the  earth  by  their 
companions.  Harney's  report  conveys  a  just  though  faint  idea  of 
the  scene : — "  Perceiving  that  the  enemy  were  retreating  in  disorder 
on  one  of  the  main  causeways  leading  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  I  collected 
all  the  cavalry  within  my  reach,  consisting  of  parts  of  Captain  Ker's 
company  2d  dragoons,  Captain  Kearny's  company  1st  dragoons,  and 
Captains  McReynolds  and  Duperu's  companies  of  the  3d  dragoons, 
and  pursued  them  vigorously  until  we  were  halted  by  the  discharge 
of  the  batteries  at  their  gate.  Many  of  the  enemy  were  overtaken  in 
the  pursuit  and  cut  down  by  our  sabres.  I  cannot  speak  in  terms 
too  complimentary  of  the  manner  in  which  this  charge  was  executed. 
My  only  difficulty  was  in  restraining  the  impetuosity  of  my  men  and 
officers,  who  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other,  who  should  be  foremost  in 
the  pursuit.  Captain  Kearny  gallantly  led  his  squadron  into  the  very 
intrenchments  of  the  enemy,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  an  arm  from 
a  grape-shot  fired  from  a  gun  at  one  of  the  main  gates  of  the  capital." 

N  taking  a  view  of  this  day's  opera 
tions  the  mind  seems  scarcely  able 
to  grasp  the  magnitude  and  im 
portance  of  the  American  vic 
tories.  Any  one  of  the  great 
events  of  August  20th,  performed 
by  itself,  would  have  struck  the 
civilized  world  as  one  of  the 
greatest  feats  of  modern  warfare, 
worthy  of  being  recorded  on  the 
same  historic  page  with  those  of 
Cortes  or  Napoleon.  But  the 
whole  taken  together,  stagger  and  perplex  by  their  very  magnitude, 


534  RESULTS   OF   THE   BATTLE. 

like  the  distances  spoken  of  by  astronomers,  which  although  heard  of 
with  indifference  would,  if  separated  into  appreciable  fractions,  over 
whelm  the  imagination.  Defences  which  had  cost  the  greatest  chief 
of  Mexico  incessant  labour,  which  had  drawn  forth  the  utmost  skill 
and  exertion  of  the  enemy,  and  were  regarded  as  impregnable,  were 
in  a  few  hours  demolished  or  captured.  In  one  day  the  strength  of 
Mexico  was  broken.  A  loss  so  utter  was  regarded  by  its  very  suf 
ferers  as  a  mere  dream,  something  which  could  not  be.  Santa  Anna 
was  saved  from  despair,  only  because  the  suddenness  of  the  blow 
deprived  him  of  an  opportunity  to  feel  the  actual  extent  of  his  loss. 
It  was  virtually  the  conquest  of  the  capital,  and  had  the  Mexicans 
been  wise,  or  even  possessed  common  sense,  the  war  would  then  have 
terminated.  There  was  reason  for  the  triumphant  language  of  the 
intrepid  general-in-chief,  while  summing  up  the  results  of  victory : — 
"It  (the  army)  has,  in  a  single  day,  in  many  battles  as  often  defeated 
thirty-two  thousand  men ;  made  about  three  thousand  prisoners,  in 
cluding  eight  generals,  (two  of  them  ex-presidents,)  and  two  hundred 
and  five  other  officers;  killed  or  wounded  four  thousand  of  all 
ranks,  besides  entire  corps  dispersed  and  dissolved ;  captured  thirty- 
seven  pieces  of  ordnance — more  than  trebling  our  siege  train  and 
field-batteries — with  a  large  number  of  small  arms,  a  full  supply  of 
ammunition  of  every  kind.  These  great  results  have  overwhelmed 
the  enemy." 

Similar  language  is  used  by  all  the  superior  officers,  in  describing 
their  respective  operations,  and  the  gallantry  of  their  troops.  "  When 
I  recur  to  the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  fact  that  the  divison 
(two  thousand  six  hundred  strong  of  all  arms)  was  engaged  from  two 
to  two  and  a  half  hours  in  a  hand  to  hand  conflict  with  from  seven 
to  nine  thousand  of  the  enemy,  having  the  advantage  of  position,  and 
occupying  regular  works — which  our  engineers  will  say  were  most 
skilfully  constructed — the  mind  is  filled  with  wonder,  and  the  heart 
with  gratitude  to  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  whose  steady  and  in 
domitable  valour  has,  under  such  circumstances,  aided  in  achieving  re 
sults  so  honourable  to  our  country — results  not  accomplished,  however, 
without  the  sacrifice  of  many  valuable  lives.  The  little  professional 
skill  the  commander  may  have  possessed  was  intensely  exerted  to 
spare  the  men ;  and  yet,  with  the  utmost  care,  we  have  to  mourn 
the  loss,  in  killed  and  wounded,  of  thirteen  officers  and  three  hun 
dred  and  thirty-six  rank  and  file.  Our  country  will  lament  the  fate 
and  honour  the  memory  of  these  brave  men.  A  list  of  captured 
ordnance  has  already  been  handed  in,  as  also  of  prisoners,  from  ge 
nerals  down  to  privates.  Of  prisoners,  we  paused  to  make  but  few ; 
although  receiving  the  surrender  of  many,  to  disarm  and  pass  them 


CAPTURE    OF   DESERTERS 


535 


was  deemed  sufficient.  Among  them,  however,  are  secured  twenty- 
seven  deserters  from  our  own  army,  arrayed  in  the  most  tawdry 
Mexican  uniforms.  These  wretches  served  the  guns — the  use  of 
which  they  had  been  taught  in  our  own  service — and  with  fatal  effect, 
upon  the  persons  of  their  former  comrades!  And  now,  in  closing 
this  report,  hastily  and  inconveniently  prepared,  comes  the  pleasing 
and  yet  difficult  task  of  bringing  more  particularly  to  the  notice  of 
the  general-in-chief  and  government,  the  behaviour  of  the  officers 
and  men  under  my  command.  Every  officer  of  every  grade,  and 
every  soldier,  from  chief  of  brigade,  through  rank  and  file,  to  the 
humblest,  have  bravely  and  nobly  done  their  duty ;  and  the  delicacy 
is  felt  in  full  force  of  distinguishing  even  by  a  separation  of  one  from 
the  other,  and  yet  those  in  whose  path  Fortune  threw  her  special 
favours  are  entitled  to  the  benefit." 

Besides  the  deserters  mentioned  in  this  extract  as  part  of  Worth's 
prisoners,  forty-two  were  captured  by  Shields's  troops,  among  whom 
was  the  notorious  Captain  O'Riley,  who  had  deserted  prior  to  the  war, 
and  fought  with  great  bravery  at  Monterey  and  other  places.  These 
men  were  placed  in  close  custody,  in  order  to  await  their  trial  for 
desertion  and  treason. 

ENERAL  QUITMAN  during  the  opera 
tions  of  the  20th,  was  unfortunately  pre 
vented  from  participating,  by  being 
placed  with  the  2d  Pennsylvania  volun 
teers  and  a  detachment  of  United  States 
marines,  at  the  depot  of  San  Augustin. 
Here  General  Scott  had  placed  his  sick 
and  wounded,  together  with  the  supply, 
siege  and  baggage  trains.  "  Had  these 
been  lost  the  army  would  have  been 
almost  driven  to  despair ;  and  consider 
ing  the  enemy's  very  great  excess  of  num 
bers,  and  the  many  approaches  to  the  depot,  it  might  well  have  be 
come  emphatically  the  post  of  honour." 

In  his  report  to  the  secretary  of  war,  the  general-in-chief  does  not 
omit  to  notice  the  skill  and  indefatigable  exertions  of  the  officers  com 
manding  divisions  and  brigades.  His  testimony  is  the  more  valuable 
not  only  on  account  of  his  acknowledged  discrimination  with  regard 
to  character,  but  also  from  the  fact  of  his  being  an  eye-witness  to 
most  of  the  scenes  of  this  eventful  day.  In  like  manner  these  officers 
speak  of  those  whom  they  had  the  credit  to  command.  The  follow 
ing  extract,  from  the  report  of  Major-General  Worth,  exhibits  the  high 
military  qualities  of  his  broiLher  officers  as  well  as  of  his  personal  staff: 


536 


WORTHS    REPORT. 


Assistant  Adjutant-General  McCalL 

"  The  division  commander  cannot  forego  the  opportunity  presented, 
to  acknowledge  his  obligations  and  express  his  admiration  of  the 
gallant  bearing  of  Major-General  Pillow,  and  Brigadier-Generals 
Shields,  Cadwalader,  and  Pierce,  with  whom  he  had  the  gratification 
of  concert  and  co-operation  at  various  critical  periods  of  the  conflict. 
And  it  may  now,  in  closing,  be  permitted  to  speak  of  the  staff  of  the 
division,  general  and  personal.  The  subordinate  reports  will  be 
found  to  speak  with  one  sentiment  of  Captain  Mason,  of  engineers ; 
but  these  are  not  to  debar  my  testimony  and  warm  acknowledgments 
of  the  intelligent  and  gallant  services  of  this  accomplished  officer — 
in  the  estimation  of  all,  he  has  won  high  reputation,  and  established 
unequivocal  claims  to  higher  rank.  Lieutenant  Hardcastle,  topo 
graphical  engineers,  has  been  distinguished  by  zeal,  intelligence,  and 
gallantry,  in  his  particular  department,  as  also  in  combat.  To  Sur 
geon  Satterlee,  senior  medical  officer,  the  highest  praise  is  due.  Cap 
tain  Myers,  division  quartermaster,  has  highly  distinguished  himself 
by  energy  and  devotion  in  his  particular  department,  and  by  gal- 


HARNEYS   REPORT. 


537 


lantry  in  combat.     Lieutenant  Armstrong,  division  commissary,  is 
also  highly  distinguished  for  energy  and  devotion  in  his  particular 
department,    and   by   gallantry   in    combat.      Of  the    gallant   and 
efficient  assistance   of  Captain  Mackall,  assistant  adjutant- general, 
(but  of  a  different  relation,)  of  Brevet  Captain  Pemberton,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Wood,  aids-de-camp,  it  has  been  my  pleasing  duty  heretofore 
to  speak  under  similar  circumstances.     On  this  occasion,  each  mem 
ber  of  the  staff  has  fulfilled  every  duty  of  his  station  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  their  chief,  and  established  new  claims  to  professional 
distinction  and  reward.     To  Lieutenant  Semmes,  of  the  navy,  volun 
teer  aid-de-camp,  the  most  cordial  thanks  of  the  general  of  the  divi 
sion  are  tendered  for  his  uniform  gallantry  and  assistance ;  and  the 
general-in-chief  is  respectfully  requested  to  present  the  conduct  of 
this  accomplished  and  gallant  officer  to  the  special  notice  of  the  chief 
of  this   distinguished  branch  of  the  public   service — our   glorious 
navy." 

N  speaking  of  a  different 
branch  of  the  service  Colonel 
Harney  says,  "  The  dragoons 
from  the  commencement  of 
the  march  from  Puebla  have 
been  engaged  on  the  most 
active  and  laborious  service. 
These  duties  have  been  the 
more  arduous  in  consequence  of  the  small 
force  of  cavalty  compared  with  the  other 
arms  of  service.  Small  parties  being  con 
stantly  engaged  in  reconnoitering  and  on 
picket-guards,  the  utmost  vigilance  and 
precaution  have  been  required  to  prevent  surprise  and  disaster.  *  * 
On  the  20th,  although  I  had  but  four  companies  of  my  brigade  with 
me  on  the  field,  the  remainder  were  actively  employed  in  the  per 
formance  of  important  and  indispensable  duties.  Captain  Hardee, 
while  watching  the  enemy  with  his  company,  near  San  Antonio,  was 
attacked  by  a  band  of  guerrillas ;  but  the  enemy  was  promptly  and 
handsomely  repulsed,  and  a  number  of  their  horses,  with  arms  and 
accoutrements,  captured."  . 

Notwithstanding  the  exhausted  condition  of  the  American  troops, 
they  were  eager  to  enter  the  capita]  during  the  night  of  the  20th. 
It  is  probable  that  they  might  have  done  so  without  much  additional 
loss.  But  to  this  General  Scott  would  not  consent,  wisely  restrain 
ing  their  enthusiasm,  in  order  to  afford  them  an  opportunity  for  rp- 
pose.  His  efforts  were  warmly  seconded  by  Mr.  Trist,  the  American 

68 


538 


LOSS   OF   THE    AMERICANS. 


Guerrillas. 

ambassador,  and  numerous  friends  of  both  his  own  and  the  Mexican 
armies.  The  different  divisions  were  accordingly  withdrawn  to  secure 
positions,  and  every  preparation  made  for  the  comfort  of  the  wounded, 
the  repose  of  the  troops,  and  for  acting  on  the  morrow  as  circum 
stances  might  warrant.* 

The  loss  of  the  Mexicans  in  the  battles  of  August  has  already  been 
stated.  That  of  their  antagonists  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven, 
including  fourteen  officers  killed ;  sixty-two  officers  and  eight  hun 
dred  and  fifteen  privates  wounded,  and  thirty-eight  rank  and  file 
missing.  The  officers  were  among  the  most  valuable  in  the  service, 
including  the  lamented  Colonel  P.  M.  Butler,  of  South  Carolina, 
killed,  Colonels  Burnett  and  Dickinson  wounded,  Captains  Hanson 
and  Kearny,  Major  Mills,  and  many  others.  The  largest  number 

*  We  have  stated  it  in  the  text  as  probable,  that  General  Scott  could  have  entered  the 
city  of  Mexico,  on  the  evening  of  the  20th,  without  much  additional  loss.  We  wish 
the  qualifying  term  to  be  used  in  its  utmost  latitude.  It  requires  no  straining  of  facts  or 
suppositions  to  believe,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  probability  was  a  faint  one,  and  that 
the  cannon  other  than  Churubusco's,  might  have  unexpectedly  glared  upon  the  Ameri 
cans,  in  case  of  a  night  attack.  The  real  truth  is,  that  the  defences  of  the  city,  at  that 
time,  have  never  been  ascertained,  either  by  our  army  or  nation ;  and  when  we  reflect  on 
the  nature  of  the  subsequent  operations,  there  is  ample  room  for  the  friends  of  humanity 
to  thank  General  Scott  for  his  timely  halt  in  the  full  flush  of  victory. 


539 


Colonel  Burnett. 

actually  engaged  with  the  enemy  was  eight  thousand  five  hundred  ; 
who  together  with  the  small  garrison  of  San  Augustin,  and  the  sick, 
formed  the  entire  strength  of  the  army  which  stormed  Contreras  and 
Churubusco. 

A  cotemporary  remarks  as  follows  on  this  subject : — "  The  first 
question  that  arises  is,  could  General  Scott  have  entered  Mexico 
on  the  night  of  the  20th  ?  His  soldiers  had  been  watching,  march 
ing,  fasting,  and  fighting  for  more  than  thirty-six  hours;  over  a 
thousand  of  his  small  force  were  killed  or  disabled,  and  the  heights 
of  Chapultepec  and  the  line  of  the  garitas  were  still  before  him, 
capable,  as  was  afterwards  shown,  of  making  a  strong  defence.  How 
easy  soever  the  achievement  may  seem  to  an  editor  in  his  closet, 
we  apprehend  that  it  was  not  a  labour  to  be  undertaken  by  a  general 
in  the  field.  The  Mexican  army  which  defended  Churubusco,  though 
defeated,  was  not  destroyed;  it  retreated  towards  the  third  and 
strongest  line  of  defence,  and  was,  or  could  easily  have  been,  rallied 
behind  its  batteries.  For  General  Scott  to  have  attempted  to  enter 


540  REMARKS. 

V 

Mexico  on  the  night  of  the  20th  of  August,  it  appears  to  us,  would 
have  been  an  act  of  desperation  which  nothing  could  have  justified 
but  the  exceedingly  improbable  result  of  success.  Had  he  undertaken 
it  and  failed,  the  warriors  of  the  quill  would  have  been  the  first  to 
discover  and  expose  the  madness  of  the  act.  They  would  have 
inquired  why  he  could  not  have  waited  until  morning ;  why,  with 
half  famished  and  exhausted  troops,  with  the  wounded  calling  for 
assistance,  the  dead  unburied,  and  the  living  scarce  able  to  drag  one 
leg  after  the  other,  he  had  marched  against  strong  works  and  a 
densely  populated  city,  when  one  night's  rest  would  have  quadrupled 
the  efficiency  of  his  force  ?  And  the  voice  of  censure  would  have 
been  as  general  as  it  would  probably  have  been  deserved. 

"  The  conclusion  has  thus  been  forced  upon  us,  that  General 
Scott  was  obliged  to  pause  for  breath  after  the  continued  operations 
of  the  19th  and  20th,  which  terminated  in  the  terrible  slaughter  of 
Churubusco. 

"But  that  same  evening  he  received  a  flag  of  truce  from  the  enemy, 
asking  for  an  armistice  and  proposing  peace.  Representations  were 
at  the  same  time  made  to  him  by  those  connected  with  the  British 
embassy,  that  there  was  every  probability  that  negotiations  would 
terminate  favourably  and  honourably  to  all  parties.  The  American 
commander  was  placed  in  a  position  of  great  delicacy  and  responsi 
bility.  It  was  his  ardent  desire  to  terminate  the  war,  spare  the  lives 
of  his  soldiers,  and  avoid  the  infliction  of  unnecessary  injury,  even 
upon  the  foe.  He  had  good  reason  to  believe  that  by  granting  the 
armistice  all  these  objects  would  be  attained ;  and  he  did  grant  it, 
making  it  terminable  in  forty-eight  hours.  What  would  have  been 
said  of  him  had  he  refused  ?  He  must,  in  that  case,  either  have 
taken  the  city  or  failed  in  the  attempt.  If  the  former,  we  would  have 
been  precisely  in  the  condition  in  which  we  are  at  present,  and 
General  Scott  would  have  been  accused  of  sacrificing  the  lives  of  his 
countrymen,  and  unnecessarily  prolonging  the  war,  to  promote  his 
own  ambitious  aims,  and  gratify  the  pernicious  vanity  of  claiming  the 
conqueror's  rank  with  Cortes.  Not  one  in  fifty  of  those  who  have 
now  discovered  that  all  negotiation  with  Mexico  was  an  idle  farce, 
but  would  have  been  certain  that,  had  the  Mexican  proposition  been 
entertained,  we  should  have  had  an  honourable  and  permanent 
peace.  But  in  the  hazards  of  war,  General  Scott  might  have  been 
repulsed  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  and  then  imagination  caii 
scarcely  depict  the  execrations  which  would  have  been  poured  upon 
his  head.  Whatever  he  might  have  done,  it  will  thus  be  seen,  he 
would  have  exposed  himself  to  animadversion  and  misconstruction ; 
to  the  idle  comments  of  the  unthinking,  and  the  malicious  remarks 


REMARKS. 


541 


of  the  envious.  For  our  own  part,  we  are  willing  to  believe  that 
General  Scott  acted  as  every  hero  and  patriot  would  have  done, 
placed  in  his  position,  and  burdened  with  his  responsibilities ;  at  any 
rate,  we  must  see  something  stronger  than  has  yet  appeared  against 
him,  to  suspect  that  he  acted  with  want  of  judgment  or  want  of  zeal." 
Sentiments  similar  to  those  of  this  extract  were  echoed  from  every 
quarter  of  the  Union ;  so  that  the  military  critics  who  had  endea 
voured  to  depreciate  the  importance,  and  hide  the  magnitude  of 
such  events  as  those  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco,  could  gain  no 
hearing  from  the  public.  The  envious  voice  of  detraction  was 
drowned  in  shouts  of  exultation  and  joy,  which  ran  through  every 
city,  town,  and  hamlet  of  our  wide-spread  country. 


Nicholas  P.  Trist 


THE    ARMISTICE. 


[HE  office  of  General  Scott,  as  commander  of  the  Ame 
rican  forces  in  Mexico,  imposed  upon  him  the  gravest 
duties  and  responsibilities,  and  rendered  the  greatest 
prudence  necessary  in  every  act.     His  reluctance  to 
make  an  attempt  upon  the  Mexican  capital  on  the 
night  of  the  20th,  besides  being  dictated  by  the  hu 
manity  for  which  he  has  ever  been  remarkable,  was,  in  no  less 
a  degree,  the   result  of  policy,  and  obedience  to  previous  orders 
from  government.     Ever  keeping  in  mind  the  repeated  directions 
of  the  president  to  conquer  a  peace,  he  had,  at  each  step  of  his  pro- 
(542) 


NEGOTIATIONS  FOR   PEACE. 


543 


General  Quitman. 

gress  from  the  coast,  used  every  effort  to  open  negotiations  for  an 
honourable  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  between  the  two  nations. 
The  mission  of  Mr.  Trist  was  directed  to  the  same  object.  This 
gentleman  had  reached  Vera  Cruz  from  the  United  States,  in  July, 
and  after  remaining  there  for  some  time,  had  joined  the  army  and 
marched  with  it  towards  the  capital.  Conceiving  that,  after  the  losses 
of  the  19th  and  20th  of  August,  the  enemy  would  be  willing  to  open 
negotiations  for  peace,  he  was  earnest  in  his  representations  to  the 
general  of  the  propriety  of  affording  the  opportunity  for  so  desirable 
an  issue.  Accordingly,  before  the  following  morning,  offers  for  a 
temporary  cessation  of  hostilities  were  interchanged  between  the  two 
commanders,  and  commissioners  appointed  to  negotiate  the  armis 
tice.  Generals  Quitman,  Smith,  and  Pierce,  were  named  on  the  part 
of  the  Americans  ;  and  Ignacio  de  Mora  y  Villamil,  and  Benito 
Quijano,  on  that  of  the  Mexicans.  On  the  22d,  these  officers  met  at 
Tacubaya,  and,  after  considerable  discussion,  agreed  upon  the  fol 
lowing  articles : 

1.  Hostilities  shall  instantly  and  absolutely  cease  between  the 


544  TERMS   OF   THE    ARMISTICE 

armies  of  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  United  Mexican 
States,  within  thirty  leagues  of  the  capital  of  the  latter  states,  to  allow 
time  to  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  United  States,  and  the 
commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  the  Mexican  republic,  to  negotiate. 

2.  The  armistice  shall  continue  as  long  as  the  commissioners  of 
the  two  governments  may  be  engaged  on  negotiations,  or  until  the 
commander  of  either  of  the  said  armies  shall  give  formal  notice  to 
the  other  of  the  cessation  of  the  armistice,  and  for  forty-eight  hours 
after  such  notice. 

3.  In  the  mean  time  neither  army  shall,  within  thirty  leaguejs  of 
the  city  of  Mexico,  commence  any  new  fortification  or  military  work 
of  offence   or  defence,   or  do  any  thing  to  enlarge    or   strengthen 
any  existing  work  or  fortification  of  that  character  within  the  said 
limits. 

4.  Neither  army  shall  be  reinforced  within  the  same.     Any  rein 
forcements  in  troops  or  munitions  of  war,  other  than  subsistence  now 
approaching  either  army,  shall  be  stopped  at  the  distance  of  twenty- 
eight  leagues  from  the  city  of  Mexico. 

5.  Neither  army,  or  any  detachment  from  it,  shall  advance  be* 
yond  the  line  it  at  present  occupies. 

6.  Neither  army,  or  any  detachment  or  individual  of  either,  shall 
pass  the  neutral  limits  established  by  the  last  article,  except  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  bearing  the  correspondence  between  the  two  armies,  or 
on  the  business  authorized  by  the  next  article,  and  individuals  of 
either  army  who  may  chance  to  straggle  within  the  neutral  limits, 
shall,  by  the  opposite  party,  be  kindly  warned  off  or  sent  back  to 
their  own  armies  under  flags  of  truce. 

7.  The  American  army  shall  not  by  violence  obstruct  the  passage, 
from  the  open  country  into  the  city  of  Mexico,  of  the  ordinary  sup 
plies  of  food  necessary  to  the  consumption  of  its  inhabitants,  or  the 
Mexican  army  within  the  city ;  nor  shall  the  Mexican  authorities, 
civil  or  military,  do  any  act  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  supplies,  from 
the  city  or  the  country,  needed  by  the  American  army. 

8.  All  American  prisoners  of  war  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the 
Mexican  army,  and  not  heretofore  exchanged,  shall  immediately,  or 
as  soon  as  practicable,  be  restored  to  the  American  army,  against  a 
like  number,  having  regard  to  rank,  of  Mexican  prisoners  captured 
by  the  American  army. 

9.  All  American  citizens  who  were  established  in  the  city  of 
Mexico  prior  to  the  existing  war,  and  who  have  since  been  expelled 
from  that  city,  shall  be  allowed  to  return  to  their  respective  business 
or  families  therein,  without  delay  or  molestation. 

10.  The  better  to  enable  the  belligerent  armies  to  execute  these 


TERMS   OF   THE   ARMISTICE.  545 

articles,  and  to  favour  the  great  object  of  peace,  it  is  further  agreed 
between  the  parties,  that  any  courier  with  despatches  that  either 
army  shall  desire  to  send  along  the  line  from  the  city  of  Mexico  or 
its  vicinity,  to  and  from  Vera  Cruz,  shall  receive  a  safe  conduct  from 
the  commander  of  the  opposing  army. 

11.  The  administration  of  justice  between  Mexicans,  according  to 
the  general  and  state  constitutions  and  laws,  by  the  local  authorities 
of  the  towns  and  places  occupied  by  the  American  forces,  shall  not 
be  obstructed  in  any  manner. 

12.  Persons  and  property  shall  be  respected  in  the  towns  and 
places  occupied  by  the  American  forces.     No  person  shall  be  mo 
lested  in  the  exercise  of  his  profession ;  nor  shall  the  services  of  any 
one  be  required  without  his  consent.     In  all  cases  where  services 
are  voluntarily  rendered,  a  just  price  shall  be  paid,  and  trade  remain 
unmolested. 

13.  Those  wounded  prisoners  who  may  desire  to  remove  to  some 
more  convenient  place,  for  the  purpose  of  being  cured  of  their  wounds, 
shall  be  allowed  to  do  so  without  molestation,  they  still  remaining 
prisoners. 

14.  Those  Mexican  medical  officers  who  may  wish  to  attend  the 
wounded,  shall  have  the  privilege  of  doing  so  if  their  services  be 
required. 

15.  For  the  more  perfect  execution  of  this  agreement,  two  com 
missioners  shall  be  appointed,  one  by  each  party,  who,  in  case  of 
disagreement,  shall  appoint  a  third. 

16.  This  convention  shall  have  no  force  or  effect  unless  approved 
by   their   excellencies,  the    commanders   respectively   of  the   two 
armies,  within  twenty-four  hours,  reckoning  from  6  o'clock,  A.  M., 
of  the  22d  day  of  August,  1847. 

On  the  presentation  of  this  instrument  to  General  Scott,  he  ad 
dressed  the  following  note  to  Santa  Anna  and  the  commissioners : — 
"  Considered,  approved,  and  ratified,  with  the  express  understanding 
that  the  word  *  supplies,'  as  used  the  second  time,  without  qualifica 
tion,  in  the  seventh  article  of  this  military  convention — American 
copy — shall  be  taken  to  mean,  (as  in  both  the  British  and  American 
armies,)  arms,  munition,  clothing,  equipments,  subsistence,  (for  men,) 
forage,  and  in  general  all  the  wants  of  an  army.  The  word  '  sup 
plies,'  in  the  Mexican  copy,  is  erroneously  translated  '  viveres,'  in 
stead  of  recursos.'  " 

To  this  Santa  Anna  replied  in  the  following  note  : — "  Ratified,  sup 
pressing  the  9th  article,  and  explaining  the  fourth  to  the  effect  that 
the  temporary  peace  of  this  armistice  shall  be  observed  in  the  capital, 
and  twenty-eight  leagues  around  it;  and  agreeing  that  the  word 
2z2  69 


546 


APPOINTMENT   OF    COMMISSIONERS. 


J 


c  supplies'  shall  be  translated  <  recursos,'  and  that  it  comprehends 
every  thing  which  the  army  may  need  except  arms  and  ammunition." 
These  conditions  were  ratified  by  General  Scott,  and  the  corrected 
copies  of  the  armistice  signed  by  both  commanders. 

MMEDIATELY  after  the  con 
clusion  of  this  meeting,  com 
missioners  were  appointed  by 
the  civil  government  of  Mex 
ico,  to  open  negotiations  with 
Mr.  Trist  for  a  permanent  treaty  of  peace* 
They  met  on  the  25th.  Both  parties  were 
evidently  anxious  for  peace ;  but  unfortu 
nately  the  question  of  boundary — always  a 
vexed  one — arose,  in  its  most  aggravated 
form,  that  of  a  cession  by  Mexico  of  the 
disputed  territory  in  Texas  to  the  United  States.  The  substance  of 
Mr.  Trist's  proposal  was,  that  the  boundary  line  of  the  two  republics 
should  run  up  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  limits  of  New 
Mexico,  then  turning  to  the  westward,  take  the  course  of  the  Gila 
and  the  Lower  Colorado,  and  through  the  mouth  of  the  latter  river 
down  the  middle  of  the  Californian  gulf  into  the  Pacific.  This  would 
have  brought  the  south-western  boundary  line  of  the  United  States 
about  ten  degrees  farther  south,  depriving  Mexico  of  all  Upper  and 
Lower  California,  as  well  as  of  the  districts  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
leaving  her  the  Gila  for  her  northern  boundary,  at  the  point  where 
the  present  frontier  of  Sonora  marks  her  settled  territories.  For  the 
region  thus  acquired  by  the  United  States,  Mr.  Trist  offered  a  liberal 
sum,  to  be  paid  to  Mexico  at  such  time  as  might  afterwards  be  agreed 
upon.  To  all  this  the  Mexican  commissioners  consented,  excepting 
the  clause  relating  to  the  Rio  Grande  as  the  western  boundary.  It 
will  be  remembered  that,  immediately  previous  to  the  conclusion  of 
the  annexation  treaty,  by  which  Texas  became  a  part  of  the  United 
States,  Mexico  had  declared  her  willingness  to  acknowledge  the  in 
dependence  of  her  rebellious  province  on  condition  that  the  latter 
would  remain  a  sovereign  state,  and  take  measures  for  settling  the 
disputed  boundary  question.  On  this  subject  the  Mexicans  had  always 
evinced  a  jealous  tenacity  approaching  to  infatuation.  They  claimed 
the  whole  territory  as  far  as  the  .Nueces,  or  none.  It  is  highly  pro 
bable  that,  had  the  United  States  offered  them  this  river  as  a 
boundary  after  the  victory  of  Cerro  Gordo,  or  even  of  Vera  Cruz,  it 
would  have  been  accepted.  It  was  on  this  rock  that  the  hopes  of 
the  friends  of  peace  were  destined  again  to  split.  The  lands  of  Cali 
fornia,  and  the  fine  harbours  of  the  Pacific,  were  incalculably  more 


SCOTT'S  NOTE  TO  SANTA  ANNA.     547 

valuable  than  the  sandy  wastes  along  the  Rio  Grande  ;  yet,  notwith 
standing  this,  and  in  the  face  of  the  humbling  proofs  of  the  nation's 
inability  to  obtain  more  by  force,  Mexican  pride  remained  inflexible 
and  uncompromising,  choosing  rather  to  stake  all  upon  the  appa 
rently  hopeless  issue  of  war,  than  consent  to  the  dismemberment  of 
her  ancient  territory. 

OTWITHSTANDING  the  many  difficulties  be 
tween  the  commissioners,  negotiations  were  con 
tinued  until  the  2d  of  September,  when  Mr.  Trist 
handed  in  his  ultimatum,  or  final  propositions, 
and  the  negotiators  adjourned  to  meet  on  the  6th. 
Meanwhile  the  subject  was  referred  to  the  su 
preme  Mexican  authorities,  for  their  decision. 
Before  the  second  meeting  of  the  commissioners, 
circumstances,  not  connected  with  their  deliberations,  occurred, 
which  hastened  the  resumption  of  hostilities.  In  the  early  part  of 
September,  some  infractions  of  the  truce,  respecting  supplies  from  the 
city,  were  committed,  followed  by  apologies  from  the  enemy.  These 
were  overlooked  by  General  Scott.  But,  on  the  5th,  the  American 
general  learned  that,  as  soon  as  the  ultimatum  had  been  considered 
in  a  grand  council  of  ministers  and  others,  Santa  Anna  had,  on  the 
4th  and  5th,  actively  commenced  the  strengthening  of  his  military 
defences.  This  information  was  confirmed  on  the  6th,  in  conse 
quence  of  which  General  Scott  addressed  to  the  Mexican  commander 
the  following  note,  dated  on  the  same  day: 

"  The  7th  article,  as  also  the  12th — that  stipulates  that  trade  shall 
remain  unmolested — of  the  armistice,  or  military  convention,  which  I 
had  the  honour  to  ratify  and  to  exchange  with  your  excellency  the 
24th  ultimo,  have  been  repeatedly  violated,  beginning  soon  after 
date,  on  the  part  of  Mexico ;  and  I  now  have  good  reason  to  believe 
that,  within  the  last  forty- eight  hours,  if  not  earlier,  the  third  article 
of  that  convention  has  been  equally  violated  by  the  same  party. 

a  Those  direct  breaches  of  faith  give  to  this  army  the  most  perfect 
right  to  resume  hostilities  against  Mexico  without  any  notice  what 
ever  ;  but,  to  allow  time  for  possible  explanation,  apology,  and  repa 
ration,  I  now  give  formal  notice,  that,  unless  full  satisfaction  on  those 
allegations  should  be  received  by  me  before  12  o'clock,  meridian,  to 
morrow,  I  shall  consider  the  said  armistice  at  an  end  from  and  after 
that  hour." 

In  his  reply,  (dated  the  same  day,  but  not  delivered  till  the  7th,* 
Santa  Anna  expressed  his  astonishment  at  the  reception  of  such  ac 
cusations,  denying  imperatively  that  the  civil  or  military  authorities 
had  obstructed  the  passage  of  provisions,  and  affirming  that  the  few 


548  SANTA  ANNA'S  REPLY  TO  SCOTT, 

cases  where  difficulties  of  the  kind  had  occurred,  had  been  owing  to 
the  imprudence  of  the  American  agent.  In  return,  he  accused 
General  Scott  of  preventing  the  owners  and  managers  of  grain  mills 
in  the  vicinity  from  furnishing  any  flour  to  the  city.  The  remaining 
part  of  his  letter  contains  the  following  strong,  and,  considering  the 
condition  of  the  Mexican  nation  at  the  time,  remarkable  language : 

"  It  is  false  that  any  new  work  or  fortification  has  been  undertaken, 
because  one  or  two  repairs  have  only  served  to  place  them  in  the 
same  condition  they  were  in  on  the  day  the  armistice  was  entered 
into ;  accident  or  the  convenience  of  the  moment  having  caused  the 
destruction  of  the  then  existing  works.  I  had  very  early  notice  of 
the  establishment  of  the  battery  behind  the  mud  wall  of  the  house 
called  Garay's,  in  the  town  occupied  by  you,  and  did  not  remonstrate, 
because  the  peace  t)f  two  great  republics  could  not  be  made  to  depend 
upon  things  grave  in  themselves,  but  of  little  value  compared  to  the 
result  in  which  all  the  friends  of  humanity  and  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  American  continent  take  so  great  an  interest. 

"It  is  not  without  great  grief,  and  even  indignation,  that  I  have 
received  communications  from  the  cities  and  villages  occupied  by  the 
army  of  your  excellency,  in  relation  to  the  violation  of  the  temples 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  God,  to  the  plunder  of  the  sacred  vases, 
and  to  the  profanation  of  the  images  venerated  by  the  Mexican  peo 
ple.  Profoundly  have  I  been  afflicted  by  the  complaints  of  fathers 
and  husbands,  of  the  violence  offered  to  their  daughters  and  wives ; 
and  these  same  cities  and  villages  have  been  sacked,  not  only  in 
violation  of  the  armistice,  but  of  the  sacred  principles  proclaimed  and 
respected  by  civilized  nations.  I  have  observed  silence  to  the  pre 
sent  moment,  in  order  not  to  obstruct  the  progress  of  negotiations 
which  held  out  the  hope  of  terminating  a  scandalous  war,  and  one 
which  your  excellency  has  characterized  so  justly  as  unnatural. 

"But  I  shall  desist  offering  apologies,  because  I  cannot  be  blind 
to  the  truth,  that  the  true  cause  of  the  threats  of  renewing  hostilities, 
contained  in  the  note  of  your  excellency,  is,  that  I  have  not  been 
willing  to  sign  a  treaty  which  would  lessen  considerably  not  only  the 
territory  of  the  republic,  but  that  dignity  and  integrity  which  all 
nations  defend  to  the  last  extremity.  And  if  these  considerations 
have  not  the  same  weight  in  the  mind  of  your  excellency,  the  respon 
sibility  before  the  world,  who  can  easily  distinguish  on  whose  side  is 
moderation  and  justice,  will  fall  upon  you. 

"  I  flatter  myself  that  your  excellency  will  be  convinced,  on  calm 
reflection,  of  the  weight  of  my  reasons.  But  if,  by  misfortune,  you 
should  seek  only  a  pretext  to  deprive  the  first  city  of  the  American 
continent  of  an  opportunity  to  free  the  unarmed  population  of  the 


RESUMPTION   OF   HOSTILITIES. 


549 


horrors  of  war,  there  will  be  left  me  no  other  means  of  savins:  them 

*  o 

but  to  repel  force  by  force,  with  the  decision  and  energy  which  my 
high  obligations  impose  upon  me." 

The  accusations  contained  in  this  answer,  General  Scott  pro 
nounced  as  "  absolutely  and  nptoriously  false,  both  in  recrimination 
and  explanation."  The  correspondence  closed,  and  all  hope  of  a 
satisfactory  adjustment  of  the  subjects  of  dispute  being  at  an  end, 
both  parties  prepared  for  another  appeal  to  arms. 


a 


W 


O 

tr1 


M 

tr1 


(550) 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


STORMING    OF    MOLINO    DEL    KEY. 

N  the  5th  of  September,  one  day  previous 
to  the  termination  of  the  armistice,  the 
American  general  learned  that  many  church 
bells  had  been  sent  from  the  city  to  a 
foundry  called  Casa  Mata,  to  be  cast  into 
guns,  and  that  immense  quantities  of  powder,  balls, 
and  other  military  stores  were  arriving  at  the  same 
place.  As  soon  as  the  truce  terminated,  General 
Scott  determined  on  an  immediate  attack  upon  this  place,  hoping  to 
deprive  the  enemy  of  their  cannon  and  ammunition,  both  of  which 
were  at  this  time  of  the  greatest  importance  to  them.  This  determi 
nation  was  further  strengthened  by  the  consideration  that  recent 
events  had  deprived  the  enemy  of  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  guns 

(551) 


552 


MEXICAN    POSITIONS. 


Molino  del  Rey — Chapultepec  in  the  distance. 

necessary  to  defend  the  strong  works  at  the  eight  principal  gates  of 
the  city,  which  rendered  a  free  communication  with  the  cannon 
foundry  highly  essential  to  Santa  Anna's  operations.  This  communi 
cation  could  be  cut  off  only  by  taking  the  formidable  castle  upon  the 
heights  of  Chapultepec,  situated  between  the  city  and  Casa  Mata, 
and  overlooking  both.  For  this  dangerous  operation  the  army  was 
not  altogether  ready,  and  the  earnest  desire  of  General  Scott  was  to 
avoid  altogether,  if  possible,  an  attack  upon  this  place,  and  approach 
the  city  by  the  distant  southern  approaches,  should  they  be  found  less 
formidable.  Preparatory  to  attempting  this,  he  determined  upon  de 
stroying  the  foundry  and  stores  at  Molino  del  Rey.  The  execution 
of  this  plan  was  intrusted  to  Brevet  Major-General  Worth. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Captain  Mason,  of  the  engineers,  made 
a  close  and  daring  reconnoissance  of  the  lines  collateral  to  Chapulte 
pec,  ascertaining  the  enemy's  position  to  be  as  follows : — The  left 
resting  upon  and  occupying  the  strong  stone  buildings  of  Molino 
del  Rey,  near  a  grove  at  the  foot  of  Chapultepec  hill,  and  directly 
under  the  guns  of  its  castle ;  the  right  resting  upon  Casa  Mata,  at 
the  base  of  a  ridge  sloping  gradually  from  the  heights  above  the  vil 
lage  of  Tacubaya  to  the  plain  below.  Midway  between  these  build 
ings  was  the  enemy's  field-battery,  supported  on  both  sides  by 
infantry. 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  ATTACK.       553 

HIS  reconnoissance  was  repeated,  and  verified 
by  Captain  Mason  and  Colonel  Duncan,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day — the  result 
indicating  that  the  centre  was  the  enemy' 
weak  point,  and  that  of  his  flanks,  the  left 
bordering  on  Molino  del  Rey,  was  the 
stronger.  Generals  Scott  and  Worth  accom 
panied  the  engineers  during  the  afternoon. 
The  examination,  however,  was  far  from 
being  satisfactory,  since,  although  it  afforded 
a  fair  observation  of  the  configuration  of  the  ground,  and  the  extent 
of  the  enemy's  forces,  yet,  on  account  of  the  defences  being  skilfully 
masked,  only  an  imperfect  idea  was  obtained  of  their  actual  strength. 
On  the  same  afternoon,  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  was  seen 
hovering  about  Molino  del  Rey,  within  a  mile  and  a  third  of  Tacu- 
baya,  where  General  Scott  was  stationed  with  his  staff  and  Worth's 
division.  They  did  not  venture  an  attack,  and  the  American  com 
mander  would  not  derange  his  plans  by  offering  battle. 

General  Worth's  division  was  reinforced  by  two  hundred  and 
seventy  dragoons  and  mounted  riflemen,  under  Major  Sumner,  Cad- 
walader's  infantry  and  voltigeur  regiments,  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  strong,  three  pieces  of  field  artillery,  under  Captain  Drum,  and 
two  twenty-four  pound  battering  guns,  under  Captain  Huger.  The 
whole  command,  thus  reinforced,  numbered  three  thousand  two  hun 
dred  men. 

The  orders  of  General  Scott  were  that  the  division  should  attack 
and  destroy  the  lines  and  defences  between  the  Casa  Mata  and  Mo 
lino  del  Rey,  capture  the  enemy's  artillery,  destroy  the  machinery 
and  material  supposed  to  be  in  the  foundry,  but  under  no  circum 
stances  to  make  an  attack  upon  Chapultepec.  After  carrying  the 
works,  the  troops  were  to  be  withdrawn  immediately  to  Tacubaya. 
The  object  of  attack  being  connected  with  Chapultepec,  it  became 
necessary  to  isolate  it  from  the  defences  of  the  castle.  To  effect  this 
object,  Colonel  Garland's  brigade,  strengthened  by  two  pieces  of 
Captain  Drum's  battery,  was  posted  on  the  right  so  as  to  intercept 
any  reinforcements  from  Chapultepec,  and  be  within  sustaining  dis 
tance  of  the  assaulting  party,  and  Huger's  battering  guns.  The  latter 
were  placed  on  the  ridge,  five  or  six  hundred  yards  from  Molino  del 
Rey,  so  as  to  play  upon  and  detach  it  from  Chapultepec.  The  assault 
ing  party  designed  to  act  against  the  enemy's  centre,  consisting 
of  five  hundred  picked  men  and  officers.,  commanded  by  Brevet 
Major  Wright,  was  stationed  on  the  ridge  to  the  left  of  the  battering 
guns.  Colonel  Clarke's  brigade,  under  Colonel  Mclntosh,  was 
3  A  70 


554 


STORMING   OF    MOLING   DEL   REY. 


placed  farther  up  the  ridge,  near  Duncan's  battery,  so  as  either  to 
protect  the  American  left  flank,  to  sustain  the  assaulting  column,  or 
to  discomfit  the  enemy  as  circumstances  would  require.  Cadwala- 
der's  brigade  Was  held  in  reserve,  in  a  position  on  the  ridge  between 
the  battering  guns  and  Mclntosh's  brigade,  at  easy  supporting  dis 
tance  from  both.  Major  Sumner,  with  his  cavalry,  was  ordered  to  the 
extreme  flank,  to  act  as  his  own  judgment  might  dictate ;  and  the 
general  disposition  of  the  artillery  was  confided  to  Colonel  Duncan. 

HESE  preparations  were  designed 
and  executed  in  the  most  desirable 
manner,  exhibiting  in  the  subse 
quent  result,  the  military  abilities 
of  the  general  who  planned  the 
whole  attack,  and  of  those  who 
carried  it  into  effect.  The  artil 
lery  was  placed  in  the  best  possi 
ble  position  for  preventing  the 
arrival  of  any  support  from  the 
castle,  by  breaking  the  continuous 
line  of  defences  leading  to  that 
place,  and  distracting  the  garrison 
during  the  charge  of  Wright's 
party.  This  was  posted  so  as  to 
experience  the  least  difficulty  from 
the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  presence  of  the  enemy's  cavalry. 
The  latter  were  watched  by  the  intrepid  Sumner,  and  at  a  well- 
chosen  position,  Mclntosh's  troops  were  placed  in  general  superin 
tendence  of  the  whole.  But  so  strong  were  the  Mexican  defences, 
and  throughout  the  whole  line  so  skilfully  masked,  that  but  for  a 
strong  supporting  reserve,  Wright's  charge — the  soul  of  the  entire 
assault — would  probably  have  failed.  Such  support  was  afforded 
by  Cadwalader's  brigade,  which  during  the  action  was  called  into 
active  service,  and  contributed  in  no  slight  degree  to  victory. 

At  three  o'clock,  A.  M.,  of  the  8th,  the  division  commenced  its 
march  by  columns,  each  taking  a  different  route.  So  accurately  had 
every  thing  been  arranged,  that  notwithstanding  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  and  the  irregularity  of  the  ground,  the  troops  at  daylight  were 
found  posted  in  the  different  positions  with  as  much  precision  as 
though  on  parade.  Very  soon  after  the  dawn  of  day,  the  report  of 
Huger's  guns,  opening  upon  Molino  del  Rey,  gave  the  signal  for 
attack.  So  heavy  were  the  discharges,  that  in  a  short  time  masses 
of  masonry  fell  with  tremendous  noise,  and  the  whole  line  of  intrench- 
ments  began  to  shake.  This,  uniting  with  the  roar  of  cannon,  and 


STORMING    OF    MOLING   DEL    RET. 


557 


cLeering  of  soldiers,  produced  a  scene  of  confusion  peculiarly  dis 
tressing.  The  enemy  answered  each  discharge  in  rapid  succession, 
unfolding  at  intervals  to  the  sight  of  their  antagonists'  batteries,  and 
systems  of  defence  of  the  strongest  character,  but  hitherto  masked. 

"N  the  interim,  while  the  cannonade 
was  going  on,  Major  Wright  was  pre 
paring  his  troops  for  the  attack.  Sta 
tioned  on  an  eminence,  he  had  a  full 
view  of  the  artillery  operations,  and 
could  determine  with  great  ease,  upon 
the  exact  direction  in  which  to  lead 
his  men.  All  things  being  in  readi 
ness,  he  dashed  down  the  slope, 
guided  by  Captain  Mason  and  Lieu 
tenant  Foster,  and  followed  by  his 
whole  command.  At  this  stirring 
spectacle,  the  remainder  of  the  divi 
sion  sent  up  a  shout  which  momentarily  drowned  the  roar  of  artil 
lery  ;  while  at  the  same  moment,  as  though  in  desperate  defiance, 
the  central  batteries  of  the  enemy  opened  their  fearful  discharges, 
sweeping  down  man  and  officer  in  terrible  and  indiscriminate 
slaughter.  The  cheering  died  away  at  such  a  spectacle,  and  with 
unuttered  forebodings,  at  the  unexpected  sight,  the  reserve  and  sup 
port  leaned  forward  to  await  the  result.  Yet  in  the  midst  of  the  un 
expected  showers  of  fire  which  were  launched  upon  them,  Wright 
and  his  gallant  men  rushed  on,  gained  the  lines,  and  sweeping 
through  a  storm  of  musketry  and  canister  shot,  drove  infantry  and 
artillerymen  before  them  at  the  bayonet's  point,  seized  the  large 
field  battery,  drove  off  the  cannoneers,  and  trailed  its  guns  upon  the 
retreating  masses. 

But  the  battle  was  not  yet  decided.  After  retreating  to  a  short 
distance,  the  enemy  suddenly  halted,  rallied,  and  on  observing  the 
smallness  of  the  force  by  which  they  had  been  attacked,  returned 
with  renewed  energy  to  the  conflict.  Suddenly  a  flash,  like  light 
ning,  ran  along  their  whole  line,  pouring  forth  a  discharge  which 
struck  down  eleven  officers  out  of  the  fourteen  composing  the 
command,  with  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  in  propor 
tion.  Brevet  Major  Wright,  Captain  Mason,  and  Lieutenant  Foster 
were  among  the  severely  wounded.  At  the  same  time  the  win 
dows  and  roofs  of  buildings  were  lined  with  infantry,  who  united 
their  fire  with  that  of  the  main  body.  At  so  overwhelming  a  loss, 
the  party  was  thrown  into  confusion,  and  the  eagle  eye  of  Gene 
ral  Worth  foresaw  that  another  such  discharge,  would  snatch  victory 


558 


CAPTURE    OF    MOLING    DEL   RE*. 


from  its  grasp.  Accordingly  the  right  wing  of  Cadwalader's  brigade, 
and  the  light  battalion,  held  to  cover  Captain  Huger's  battery,  were 
immediately  ordered  forward  to  its  support.  Coming  rapidly  into 
action,  these  troops  reached  the  shattered  remnant  of  Major  Wright's 
party,  at  a  most  seasonable  moment  The  struggle  with  the  enemy 
was  close,  but  short.  They  were  again  routed,  and  their  central 
positions  fully  carried  and  occupied. 

This  victory  gave  the  Americans  an  important  station  inside  the 
enemy's  works,  and  separated  the  Casa  Mata  from  Molino  del  Rey, 
and  its  adjoining  fortifications.  These,  therefore,  formed  two  isolated 
points  of  attack,  each  of  which  could  be  attacked  by  a  separate 
party,  without  danger  from  the  other. 

The  assault  upon  the  enemy's  left  was  intrusted  to  Garland's 
brigade,  sustained  by  Drum's  artillery.  Here  the  struggle  was  ob 
stinate  and  bloody.  The  manner  in  which  the  American  guns  were 
served  drew  forth  shouts  of  applause  from  the  whole  army ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  powerful  batteries  of  Molino  del  Rey  were 
worked  in  a  manner  which  evinced  the  determination  of  the  enemy 
to  regain  the  day.  The  loss  of  the  assailants  was  heavy,  but  they 
at  length  succeeded  in  forcing  the  position  and  driving  the  garrison 
from  their  guns.  The  Mexicans  fled  towards  Chapultepec,  suffer 
ing  heavily  from  their  own  guns,  which  were  turned  upon  them,  and 
continued  to  fire  until  they  were  beyond  reach. 

IMULTANEOUSLY  with  this  as 
sault,  Duncan's  battery  opened  upon 
the  Mexican  right,  so  as  to  mask 
an  assault  upon  it,  by  Colonel  Mcln- 
tosh.  The  whole  field  was  now  a 
scene  of  uproar,  the  battle  raging, 
mostly  of  artillery,  throughout  the  en 
tire  line  of  defences,  from  Casa  Mata 
to  Molino  del  Rey.  As  Mclntosh's 
troops  moved  to  the  attack,  they  came 
in  front  of  Duncan's  battery,  which 
was  consequently  obliged  to  suspend 
its  fire.  The  command  then  moved 
steadily  to  the  assault.  On  approaching  the  Casa  Mata,  it  was  dis 
covered  to  be,  not  an  ordinary  field  intrenchment,  as  had  been  sup 
posed,  but  a  strong  stone  citadel,  built  in  the  Spanish  style,  with 
bastioned  intrenchments  and  impassable  ditches,  which  had  recently 
been  repaired  and  enlarged.  The  apparent  difficulty  of  the  under 
taking  was  thus  ten-fold  increased  ;  but  still  the  soldiers  pressed  on 
without  the  least  diminution  of  ardour.  The  batteries  of  the  enemy 


LOSS    OF   AMERICAN   OFFICERS. 


559 


were  for  a  long  time  silent,  as  though  their  attendants  were  doubtful 
whether  to  open  or  not.  But  this  was  but  the  deceitful  allurement, 
whose  object  was  to  get  the  prey  completely  within  grasp.  On  ar 
riving  within  musket-shot,  the  Americans  were  greeted  with  a  storm 
of  grape  and  canister,  before  which  their  front  ranks  melted  away, 
and  many  of  the  best  officers  were  killed  or  wounded.  Without 
intermission  was  this  kept  up,  until  their  lacerated  columns  had 
reached  the  slope  of  the  parapet  leading  to  the  citadel.  Here  amid 
the  withering  showers  which  smote  their  ranks,  the  exhausted  troops 
were  obliged  to  halt.  Their  advance  had  been  over  a  long  rugged  road, 
in  front  of  their  own  batteries  and  part  of  the  time  without  their  sup 
port.  A  large  proportion  of  their  number  had  been  killed  or  wounded, 
including  the  three  senior  officers,  Brevet  Colonel  Mclntosh,  Brevet 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Scott,  and  Major  Waite, — the  second  killed,  and 
the  first  and  last  seriously  wounded.  As  they  stood  for  a  few  mo 
ments  on  the  slope,  the  Casa  Mata  continued  to  pour  its  fire  upon 
them,  and  perplexed  with  the  change  of  commanders  consequent  on 
the  fall  of  Colonel  Mclntosh,  the  brigade  fell  into  confusion,  and 
withdrew  to  Duncan's  battery. 

HE  latter  branch  of  service,  from  the 
time  of  its  being  covered  by  Mcln- 
tosh's  troops,  so  as  to  prevent  a  con 
tinuance  of  its  fire  on  the  enemy,  had 
been  arduously  engaged  in  another 
part  of  the  field.  A  large  cavalry 
force  had  appeared  outside  the 
enemy's  works,  on  the  extreme  left 
of  the  American  line ;  and  against 
this  Colonel  Duncan  moved,  supported 
by  the  voltigeurs  of  Cadwalader's 
brigade.  As  the  cavalry  galloped 
into  canister  range,  the  whole  bat 
tery  opened  upon  them  with  great 
effect,  driving  back  their  heavy 
squadrons  in  disorder.  At  this  mo 
ment,  Major  Sumner,  who  had  been  carefully  watching  the  enemy 
all  day,  moved  to  the  front  and  changed  direction  in  admirable 
order,  under  a  most  appalling  fire  fr.om  Casa  Mata,  of  which  he  was 
within  pistol  range.  His  loss  was  very  severe,  numbering  five 
officers,  thirty-nine  soldiers,  and  one  hundred  and  four  horses.  The 
exposure  was,  however,  unavoidable,  in  consequence  of  a  deep 
ditch,  which  it  was  impossible  to  cross,  until  he  had  arrived  close  to 
the  Mexican  intrenchments.  After  passing  the  ravine,  he  formed 


560 


CAPTURE    OF   THE    CASA   MAT  A. 


his  command  in  line,  facing  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  prepared  to 
receive  their  charge.  At  seeing  this  they  suddenly  halted,  and 
shortly  afterwards  retired.  The  major  continued  to  hold  his  com 
mand  on  the  left  flank,  until  the  battle  was  won,  changing  his  posi 
tion  from  time  to  time,  with  every  movement  of  the  cavalry.  During 
the  whole  time,  his  men  behaved  with  coolness  and  bravery ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  number  and  rapidity  of  their  evolutions,  they 
succeeded,  chiefly  through  the  indefat%able  exertions  of  Captain  Har- 
dee,  in  avoiding  all  confusion.  The  major  was  joined,  soon  after  the 
commencement  of  the  action,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moore,  who, 
although  declining  the  command,  remained  with  him  during  the  day. 
Colonel  Harney,  who  was  unwell,  also  came  upon  the  field  during 
the  action,  and  after  observing  the  arrangements,  expressed  himself 
satisfied,  and  left  Sumner  to  execute  them,  "for  which,"  archly 
observes  the  major,  in  his  report,  "I  am  deeply  obliged  to  him." 

HE  repulse  of  the  second  brigade 
enabled  Colonel  Duncan  to  re 
open  his  battery  upon  the  Casa 
Mata,  which  the  enemy,  after  a 
short  and  well-directed  fire,  aban 
doned.  The  Americans  rushed 
into  the  works  with  loud  cheers, 
seized  the  cannon,  and  turned 
them  upon  their  former  owners. 

The  enemy  was  now  driven  from 
every  part  of  the  field,  leaving 
his  strong  lines  in  possession  of  the 
assailants.  The  quantity  of  stores 
within  the  two  principal  works 
fell  far  short  of  what  had  been 
anticipated,  thus  proving  false  many 

of  the  reports  previously  received  upon  that  subject.  In  obedience 
to  the  commands  of  General  Scott,  the  Casa  Mata  was  blown  up,  and 
such  of  the  captured  ammunition  as  could  not  be  used,  together  with 
the  cannon-moulds  found  in  .Molino  del  Rey,  was  destroyed. 

Thus,  after  several  hours  incessant  cannonading  and  fighting,  the 
Americans  stormed  and  carried  an  entire  line  of  strong  fortresses,  de 
fended  by  fourteen  thousand  men,  securing  eight  hundred  prisoners, 
all  the  guns,  a  large  quantity  of  small  arms,  ammunition  and  other 
stores.  Fifty-two  commissioned  officers  were  among  the  taken. 
Generals  Valdarez  and  Leon,  the  second  and  third  in  command,  were 
killed.  The  total  loss  of  the  enemy  was  about  three  thousand,  ex 
clusive  of  two  thousand  who  deserted  after  the  rout. 


COMMENDATION    OF    OFFICERS. 


561 


a  HESE  great  results  were  not  obtained 
without  a  proportionate  loss  on  the 
part  of  the  victors.  Besides  being 
numerically  great,  the  list  of  killed 
and  wounded  embraced  the  names 
of  some  of  the  brightest  ornaments 
of  the  service.  Of  the  first  were 
Captains  Merrill,  E.  K.  Smith, 
Ayres,  and  Lieutenants  Strong,  Far- 
ry,  Burwell,  and  Burbank.  "  All 
of  these  gallant  men,"  says  General 
Worth,  "fell  as,  when  it  pleased 
God,  they  would  have  wished  to  fall,  fighting  bravely  at  the  head  of 
their  troops,  leaving  a  bright  example  to  the  service,  and  spotless 
names  to  the  cherished  recollections  of  comrades."  Among  the 
wounded  were  brevet  Major  Wright,  Captains  Mason,  Walker,  and 
Cady,  and  Lieutenants  Shackleford,  Daniels,  Clarke,  Snelling,  and 
Foster,  all  of  whom  highly  distinguished  themselves. 

The  conduct  of  both  cavalry  and  artillery  was  admirable  ;  and  the 
same  meed  of  praise  is  due  to  Sumner's  dragoons.  General  Cad- 
walader  rendered  most  efficient  service,  and  received  the  encomiums 
of  General  Worth.  Among  the  other  officers  similarly  noticed,  were 
Colonel  Garland,  Lieutenant- Colonel  Duncan,  brevet  Colonel  Mcln- 
tosh,  Captains  Huger  and  Drum,  Lieutenants  Kirkham,  Nichols,  and 
Thome,  (the  latter  of  whom  captured  a  regimental  standard,)  and  the 
officers  of  Cadwalader's  brigade.  Worth  withdrew  his  brigade  to 
Tacubaya.  The  operations  of  the  day  had  thrown  the  enemy  on  the 
defensive,  and  left  no  further  obstruction  to  an  attack  upon  the  city, 
save  the  castle  of  Chapultepec.  Knowing  the  strength  of  thiAbrtress, 
General  Scott  wisely  refrained  from  an  immediate  attack,  preferring  to 
give  his  troops  the  repose  which  they  so  much  needed,  rather  than 
risk  disabling  his  army  by  over  exertion.  The  dead  were  collected  and 
buried,  the  wounded  rendered  comfortable,  and  each  division,  with 
its  officers,  quartered  where  they  could  be  protected  from  the  weather. 


71 


PLAN 

or  THE 
STORMING  OF  CHAPULTEPEC 


REFERENCES. 
A.  Chapultepec. 
B    Belen  Causeway. 
C    Tacubaya  Road. 
D    MolinodelRey. 
E    Bishop's  Palace, 

F    Mexican  batteries. 

G!  American  batteries. 
H    Tacubaya. 
\    San  Cosme  Causeway 


wiMUfiP 
(562) 


* 


Mexican  Costumes. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

STORMING    OF    CHAPULTEPEC. 

HE  taking  of  Molino  del  Rey 
had  cut  off  the  fortress  of  Cha- 
pultepec  from  all  immediate 
connection  with  any  of  the  sur 
rounding  fortifications.  The 
assault  upon  it  was  the  next 
great  event  of  the  war,  and  the 
first  of  that  brilliant  series  to 
which  General  Scott  gives  the 
general  name,  Battle  of  Mexico. 
Of  that  momentous  action, 
which  continued  for  more  than 
two  days,  the  storming  of  the  castle  is  the  only  occurrence  which  is 
capable  of  separate  description.  The  difficulty  of  conveying  an  ade 
quate  idea  of  the  actions  of  August  has  been  formerly  mentioned ; 
but  the  events  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco  are  simple  when  com 
pared  to  those  attending  the  taking  of  the  capital.  The  plan  of 

(563} 


564  DEFENCES   AT   THE    CAPITAL. 

attack  in  the  latter  brought  out  the  abilities  of  every  officer  in  the 
army,  simultaneously,  and,  with  but  few  exceptions,  in  independent 
commands. 

Immediately  after  the  victory  of  the  8th,  General  Scott  commenced 
a  series  of  strict  and  daring  reconnoissances  of  the  ground  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  capital,  and  the  principal  works  of  the  enemy.  These 
were  conducted  by  the  able  engineers,  Captain  Lee,  and  Lieutenants 
Stephens,  Tower,  and  Beauregard.  This  service  was,  in  point  of  danger, 
equal  to  battle,  stations  being  frequently  chosen  within  full  range  of 
the  enemy's  batteries,  and  even  within  musketry  range  of  the  works. 
The  observations  were  directed  principally  to  the  southern  defences, 
the  strongly  fortified  gates  of  Piedad,  San  Antonio,  San  Angel,  or  Nino 
Perdido,  and  Paseo  de  la  Vega.  These  presented  a  chain  of  ditches, 
intrenchments,  gullies,  breastworks,  towers,  and  mines,  appalling  to 
any  general  save  one  of  the  first  military  genius  and  experience. 
"This  city,"  says  the  American  commander,  while  speaking  of  these 
defences,  "  stands  on  a  slight  swell  of  ground,  near  the  centre  of  an 
irregular  basin,  and  is  girdled  with  a  ditch  in  its  greatest  extent — a 
navigable  canal  of  great  breadth  and  depth — very  difficult  to  bridge 
in  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  and  serving  at  once  for  drainage,  cus 
tom-house  purposes,  and  military  defence,  having  eight  entrances  or 
gates,  over  arches,  each  of  which  we  found  defended  by  a  system  of 
strong  works,  that  seemed  to  require  nothing  but  some  men  and  guns 
to  be  impregnable. 

"  Outside  and  within  the  cross-fires  of  those  gates,  we  found,  to 
the  south,  other  obstacles  but  little  less  formidable.  All  the  ap 
proaches  near  the  city  are  over  elevated  causeways,  cut  in  many 
places,  (to  oppose  us,)  and  flanked  on  both  sides  by  ditches,  also  of 
unusual  dimensions.  The  numerous  cross-roads  are  flanked  in  like 
manner,  having  bridges  at  the  intersections,  recently  broken.  The 
meadows  thus  checkered  are,  moreover,  in  many  spots,  under  water 
or  marshy ;  for,  it  will  be  remembered,  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
wet  season,  though  with  less  rain  than  usual,  and  we  cou-ld  not  wait 
for  the  fall  of  the  neighbouring  lakes,  and  the  consequent  drainage  of 
the  wet  grounds  at  the  edge  of  the  city — the  lowest  in  the  whole  basin." 

An  attack  upon  the  city  in  this  quarter  would  perhaps  have  been 
successful ;  but  it  would  have  been  at  a  loss  greater  than  has  ever 
yet  been  experienced  by  an  American  army.  General  Scott,  there 
fore,  with  that  regard  to  the  lives  of  his  soldiers  which  has  ever 
formed  a  prominent  feature  in  his  character,  and  rejecting  the  vain 
glory  acquired  by  gaining  a  great  battle  at  any  expense,  promptly 
determined  to  avoid  the  network  of  obstacles  on  the  south,  and  seek 
less  unfavourable  approaches  by  a  sudden  inversion  towards  the  west 


SCOTT  S    STRATAGEM. 


565 


0  economize  the  lives  of  our  gallant 
officers  and  men,"  says  the  general, 
"  as  well  as  to  insure  success,  it  be 
came  indispensable  that  this  resolu 
tion  should  be  long  masked  from  the 
enemy ;  and  again,  that  the  ne\v 
movement,  when  discovered,  should 
be  mistaken  for  a  feint,  and  the  old 
as  indicating  our  true  and  ultimate 
point  of  attack."  This  design  could 
be  executed  only  by  means  of  a  well 
conducted  stratagem,  whose  most 
important  part  would  be  to  prevent 
the  enemy  from  removing  his  guns 
in  the  southern  defences  to  the  new 
point  of  attack.  This  was  executed 

in  a  manner  which,  while  securing  the  lives  of  the  troops,  threw  the 
balance  of  advantages  in  their  hands,  and  afforded  one  more  instance  of 
the  eminent  scientific  abilities  of  the  man  who,  with  a  handful  of  troops, 
had  fought  his  way  through  hostile  armies  to  the  gates  of  the  enemy's 
capital.  We  give  the  arrangements  of  his  plan  in  his  own  words : 

"  Accordingly,  on  the  spot,  the  llth,  I  ordered  Quitman's  division 
from  Coyoacan,  to  join  Pillow,  by  daylight,  before  the  southern  gates, 
and  then  that  the  two  major-generals,  with  their  divisions,  should, 
by  night,  proceed  (two  miles)  to  join  me  at  Tacubaya,  where  I  was 
quartered  with  Worth's  division.  Twiggs,  with  Riley's  brigade,  and 
Captains  Taylor's  and  Steptoe's  field-batteries — the  latter  of  twelve- 
pounders — was  left  in  front  of  those  gates  to  manoeuver,  to  threaten, 
or  to  make  false  attacks,  in  order  to  occupy  and  deceive  the  enemy 
Twiggs's  other  brigade  (Smith's)  was  left  at  supporting  distance  in 
the  rear,  at  San  Angel,  till  the  morning  of  the  13th,  and  also  to  sup 
port  our  general  depot  at  Mixcoac.  The  stratagem  against  the 
south  was  admirably  executed  throughout  the  12th,  and  down  to 
the  afternoon  of  the  13th,  when  it  was  too  late  for  the  enemy  to 
recover  from  the  effects  of  his  delusion. 

"  The  first  step  in  the  new  movement  was  to  carry  Chapultepec,  a 
natural  and  isolated  mound,  of  great  elevation,  strongly  fortified  at 
its  base,  on  its  acclivities  and  heights.  Besides  a  numerous  garrison, 
here  was  the  military  college  of  the  republic,  with  a  large  number 
of  sub-lieutenants  and  other  students.  Those  works  were  within 
direct  gunshot  of  the  village  of  Tacubaya,  and,  until  carried,  we 
could  not  approach  the  city  on  the  west  without  making  a  circuit  too 
wide  and  too  hazardous. 
3B 


566 


PLAN   OF   OPERATIONS. 


"In  the  course  of  the  same  night,  (that  of  the  llth,)  heavy  bat 
teries  within  easy  ranges,  were  established.  No.  1,  on  our  right, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Drum,  4th  artillery,  (relieved  the 
next  day,  for  some  hours,  by  Lieutenant  Andrews,  of  the  3d,)  and 
No.  2,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Hagner,  ordnance — both  supported 
by  Quitman's  division.  Nos.  3  and  4,  on  the  opposite  side,  sup 
ported  by  Pillow's  division,  were  commanded,  the  former  by  Captain 
Brooks  and  Lieutenant  S.  S.  Anderson,  2d  artillery,  alternately,  and 
the  latter  by  Lieutenant  Stone,  ordnance.  The  batteries  were  traced 
by  Captain  Huger  and  Captain  Lee,  engineer,  and  constructed  by 
them,  with  the  able  assistance  of  the  young  officers  of.  those  corps 
and  the  artillery. 

"  To  prepare  for  an  assault,  it  was  foreseen  that  the  play  of  the 
batteries  might  run  into  the  second  day ;  but  recent  captures  had  not 
only  trebled  our  siege  pieces,  but  also  our  ammunition ;  and  we  knew 
that  we  should  greatly  augment  both  by  carrying  the  place.  I  was, 
therefore,  in  no  haste  in  ordering  an  assault  before  the  works  were 
well  crippled  by  our  missiles." 

HE  disposition  of  forces  thus 
sketched  should  be  borne  in 
mind  while  taking  a  survey  of 
the  subsequent  operations.  The 
whole  army  was  divided  into 
two  great  sections,  each  per 
forming  duties  distinct  from  the 
other,  yet  essential  to  the  suc 
cess  of  the  final  operations. 
One  of  these  amused  the  enemy, 
and  prevented  him  from  em 
ploying,  to  much  effect,  his 
strongest  forces ;  the  other  con 
ducted  the  assault  at  numerous 
points  of  the  western  defences. 
The  former  duty  was  intrusted  to  General  Twiggs,  with  Riley's  bri 
gade  and  two  batteries ;  while  Smith's  brigade  remained  as  a  sup 
porting  reserve.  At  the  same  time,  the  divisions  of  Quitman  and 
Pillow  marched  by  night  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  southern  de 
fences,  and  joined  General  Scott  at  Tacubaya,  preparatory  to  the 
assault  upon  Chapultepec.  This  hill  lay  between  Twiggs's  station 
and  the  western  portion  of  the  city,  whither  General  Scott  designed 
to  make  his  attack.  To  pass  between  it  and  the  city  wall  was  im 
possible  ;  and  to  march  around  on  the  opposite  side  would  have  con 
sumed  so  much  time  as  to  unfold  the  stratagem  to  the  enemy,  and 


STORMING   OF    CHAPULTEPEC. 


567 


Chapultepec. 

thus  defeat  one  important  object  of  it.  There  remained,  therefore, 
no  alternative  but  to  storm  the  fortress,  since,  by  so  doing,  the  enemy 
would  still  be  in  the  dark  as  to  the  ultimate  point  of  attack,  and  might 
easily  be  induced  to  believe  that,  in  case  of  capturing  it,  the  Ameri 
cans  would  resume  their  station  near  the  southern  gates.  Subsequent 
disclosures  proved  that  they  laboured  under  this  delusion. 

The  two  batteries  of  Captain  Drum  and  Lieutenant  Hagner,  sup 
porting  Quitman's  divison,  and  those  of  Captain  Brooks  and  Lieute 
nant  Stone,  supporting  Pillow,  opened  on  the  castle,  early  on  the 
12th.  The  bombardment  and  cannonade  were  superintended  by 
Captain  Huger,  and  continued  during  the  whole  day.  During  the 
continuance  of  this  dreary  work,  Twiggs  was  actively  plying  his  guns 
on  the  southern  side,  in  order  to  prevent  the  arrival  of  reinforcements 
at  Chapultepec.  The  bombardment  at  length  became  so  severe,  that 
all  the  garrison,  excepting  a  number  sufficient  to  manage,  abandoned 
their  works,  and  formed  on  a  secure  position  of  the  hill,  where  they 
could  easily  return  in  case  of  an  assault.  As  night  approached,  the 
fire  of  the  assailants  necessarily  ceased ;  but  it  was  observed  that  a 
good  impression  had  been  made  upon  the  castle  and  its  outworks. 

No  changes  of  position  were  made  during  the  night  of  the  12th, 
so  that  early  on  the  following  morning  the  guns  reopened  upon  the 
castle.  At  the  same  moment  those  of  Twiggs  were  heard  battering 
the  gates  of  San  Antonio  and  Piedad.  The  Mexicans  were  again 


568 


STORMING   OF    CHAPULTEPEC. 


observed   upon  the  hill,  holding  themselves   in  readiness  for  an 
assault. 

Meanwhile  the  general-in- chief  was  actively  preparing  to  storm 
the  work.  The  force  designed  for  this  service  consisted  of  two 
columns,  acting  independently  and  on  different  sides  of  the  hill. 
The  first  was  led  by  General  Pillow,  the  second  by  General  Quit- 
man — the  commands  of  these  officers  being  reinforced  by  corps  from 
other  divisions.  On  the  previous  evening,  Worth  had  received  orders 
to  designate  a  party  from  his  division  to  assist  Pillow,  and  imme 
diately  organized  a  command  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  men,  with 
ten  officers,  under  Captain  McKenzie.  He  was  also  advised  to  take 
position  with  the  remainder  of  his  division  and  support  Pillow,  in 
case  that  officer  should  request  his  aid.  He  accordingly  chose  a 
favourable  position,  and  reported  himself  to  Pillow.  At  the  same  time 
Smith's  brigade  was  ordered  to  proceed  towards  the  hill  and  support 
Quitman's  column.  These  troops  arrived  on  the  following  morning, 
after  marching  over  an  exposed  road  two  miles  in  length.  Twiggs 
also  supplied  a  reinforcement  to  Quitman's  storming  column,  about 
equal  in  number  to  that  from  Worth's  division,  and  commanded  by 
Captain  Casey. 

The  signal  for  the  march  of  the  storming  parties  was  the  momentary 
cessation  of  fire  from  the  heavy  batteries.  At  about  eight  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  General  Scott  dismissed  an  aid  to  Ge 
neral  Pillow,  and  another  to  Quitman,  to  inform  them  that  this  was 
about  to  be  given.  Immediately  the  whole  field  was  covered  with 
the  troops  of  the  assailing  parties,  moving  into  position.  At  the 
same  moment  a  number  of  Mexican  soldiers  outside  the  fort,  rushed 
into  it  and  prepared  to  resist  the  assault. 

ENERAL  PILLOW,  in  the  morning, 
had  placed  two  field-pieces  of  Ma- 
gruder's  field-battery  inside  the  Mo- 
lino  del  Rey,  to  clear  a  sand-bag 
breastwork  which  the  enemy  had 
constructed  without  the  main  wall  sur 
rounding  Chapultepec,  so  as  to  annoy 
any  party  assailing  the  principal  works. 
Through  the  houses  and  walls  of  the 
mills,  he  had  also  placed  a  howitzer 
battery,  to  aid  in  driving  the  enemy 
from  a  strong  intrenchment  which  ex 
tended  nearly  across  the  front  of  the  forest  and  commanded  the  only 
approach  to  Chapultepec  on  that  side.  At  the  same  time  he  placed 
in  position  four  companies  of  the  voltigeur  regiment,  under  Lieute- 


STORMING  OF  CHAPULTEPEC.        569 

nant-Colonel  Johnstone,  with  instructions  to  advance  by  a  rapid 
movement,  on  the  outside  and  enter  the  inclosure,  after  it  had  been 
gained  by  the  storming  parties.  Four  other  companies  of  voltigeurs 
were  placed  under  Colonel  Andrews,  at  a  narrow  gateway  opening 
from  the  rear  of  the  mills,  with  orders  to  advance  in  front,  and  uniting 
with  Colonel  Johnstone 's  command,  to  deploy  as  skirmishers  and 
drive  a  body  of  the  enemy  from  some  large  trees  among  which  it 
had  taken  shelter. 

VERY  thing  being  now  in  readiness,  the 
•  heavy  batteries  were  silenced,  and  imme 
diately  the  storming  columns  rushed  for 
ward  to  the  attack.  Knowing  too  well 
the  object  of  this  movement,  the  Mexi 
cans  opened  all  their  batteries,  the  fires 
from  which  swept  every  approach  and 
glared  in  front  of  the  advancing  troops 
like  a  volcano.  On  they  rushed,  driving 
the  enemy  from  the  woods,  and  reaching  the 
hill,  commenced  the  ascent.  At  this  mo 
ment,  General  Pillow  was  struck  from  his 
horse  by  a  grape-shot,  and  the  command 
devolved  on  Cadwalader.  The  former  general  would  not  leave  the 
field ;  but  employed  some  of  his  men  to  carry  him  up  the  hill,  in 
order  that  he  might  be  a  witness  of  the  result.  Under  command  of 
the  intrepid  officer  from  Pennsylvania,  the  troops  entered  the  enemy's 
drizzling  fires,  and  laboured  over  the  steep  rocks.  "  The  broken 
acclivity,"  says  the  general-in-chief,  while  describing  Cadwalader's 
advance,  "was  still  to  be  ascended,  and  a  strong  redoubt  midway  to 
be  carried,  before  reaching  the  castle  on  the  heights.  The  advance  of 
our  brave  officers,  though  necessarily  slow,  was  unwavering,  over 
rocks,  chasms,  and  mines,  and  under  the  hottest  fire  of  cannon  and 
musketry.  The  redoubt  now  yielded  to  resistless  valour,  and  the 
shouts  that  followed  announced  to  the  castle  the  fate  that  impended. 
The  enemy  were  steadily  driven  from  shelter  to  shelter.  The  retreat 
allowed  not  time  to  fire  a  single  mine  without  the  certainty  of  blow 
ing  up  friend  and  foe.  Those  who  at  a  distance  attempted  to  apply 
matches  to  the  long  'trains  were  shot  down  by  our  men.  There  was 
death  below  as  well  as  above  ground.  At  length  the  ditch  and  wall 
of  the  main  work  were  reached;  the  scaling-ladders  were  brought 
up  and  planted  by  the  storming  parties ;  some  of  the  daring  spirits 
first  in  the  assault  were  cast  down — killed  or  wounded  ;  but  a  lodg 
ment  was  soon  made;  streams  of  heroes  followed;  all  opposition 
was  overcome,  and  several  of  our  regimental  colours  were  flung  out 
SB  2  72 


570 


QUITMAN    S    OPERATIONS. 


from  the  upper  walls,  amidst  long  continued  shouts  and  cheers,  whicfr 
sent  dismay  into  the  capital.  No  scene  could  have  been  more  ani 
mating  or  glorious." 

Conspicuous  in  this  charge  was  the  gallant  Colonel  Ransom ,  of  the 
9th  infantry,  who  met  a  soldier's  death  while  leading  his  troops  up 
the  summit  .to  the  castle.  He  was  shot  in  the  forehead.  Major 
Seymour  succeeded  him,  and  on  arriving  before  the  walls,  mounted 
the  ladders,  leaped  upon  the  parapet,  and  tore  down  with  his  own 
hands  the  Mexican  colours. 

Simultaneously  with  this  attack,  General  Quitman's  troops  ap 
proached  the  fortress  on  the  opposite  side.  At  early  dawn  he  had 
opened  his  batteries  with  much  effect,  and  commenced  preparations  for 
the  assault.  Ladders,  pick-axes,  and  crows  were  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  pioneer  storming  party  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  selected 
from  all  corps  of  the  division,  and  commanded  by  Major  Twiggs. 
At  this  time,  General  Smith  arrived  with  his  brigade,  and  was 
instructed  to  move  in  reserve,  on  the  right  flank  of  the  assaulting 
column,  to  protect  it  from  skirmishes  or  more  serious  attacks,  and  if 
possible,  cross  the  aqueduct  leading  to  the  city,  and  cut  off  the  ene 
my's  retreat. 

These  dispositions  being  completed,  the  whole  command,  at  the 
preconcerted  signal,  moved  forward  with  confidence  and  enthusiasm, 
At  the  base  of  the  hill  constituting  part  of  the  defences,  and  directly 


QUITMAN'S  OPERATIONS.  571 


Major  (now  Colonel)  Seymour. 

across  the  line  of  advance,  were  strong  batteries,  flanked  on  the  right 
oy  equally  strong  buildings,  and  by  a  heavy  stone  wall,  about  fifteen 
feet  high,  which  extended  around  the  base  of  the  hill,  towards  the 
west.  The  troops  were,  however,  partially  covered  by  some  dilapi 
dated  buildings  at  about  two  hundred  yards'  distance.  Between 
these  and  the  wall,  extended  a  low  meadow,  whose  long  grass  con 
cealed  a  number  of  wet  ditches,  by  which  it  was  intersected  ;  and  to 
this  point  the  command,  partially  screened,  advanced  by  a  flank 
movement,  having  the  storming  parties  in  front,  who  sustained  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  enemy's  fortress,  batteries,  and  breastworks. 
Here,  under  partial  cover  of  the  ruins,  the  advance  was  halted,  and 
upon  the  appearance  of  the  New  York  and  South  Carolina  regiments, 
General  Shields  was  directed  to  move  them  obliquely  to  the  left, 
across  the  low  ground  to  the  wall  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  Encouraged 
by  the  presence  of  the  man  who  had  led  them  to  victory  at  Churu- 
busco,  these  tried  regiments  waded  through  deep  ditches,  while  the 
water  around  them  was  foaming  with  the  enemy's  shot,  and  rushing 
forward  together  effected  a  lodgment  at  the  wall.  Similar  orders 

',  were  given  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Geary,  and  executed  by  his  regi 
ment  with  equal  alacrity  and  success.     While  cheering  on  his  men, 

^General  Shields  was  severely  wounded  in  the  arm ;  but  no  induce 
ment  could  persuade  him  to  leave  his  command,  or  quit  the  field. 
About  the  same  time,  the  esteemed  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baxter  was 


572 


STORMING   OF    CHAPULTEPEC. 


Storming  of  Chapultepec. 

mortally  wounded,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Geary  disabled,  and  Captain 
Van  O'Linda  killed. 

During  this  advance,  Brigadier-General  Smith  was  driving  back 
skirmishing  parties  of  the  enemy  on  the  left ;  Lieutenant  Benjamin, 
at  the  first  battery,  was  pouring  shot  after  shot  into  the  fortress  and 
woods  on  the  slope,  while  Lieutenant  Hunt,  having  obtained  a 
favourable  position  in  the  rear,  also  threw  shells  and  shrapnell  shot 
into  the  enemy's  lines  with  good  effect.  At  this  moment,  General 
Quitman  ordered  the  storming  parties  to  the  assault.  Led  by  their 
gallant  officers,  they  rushed  on  in  one  unbroken  tide,  while  the  bat 
teries  from  behind  continued  to  pour  shells  and  shot  over  their  heads 
into  the  enemy's  fortress.  The  Mexican  fire  was  tremendous ;  but 
without  pausing  for  a  moment,  the  Americans  swept  on  until  they 
reached  the  outer  breastworks.  Here,  for  a  short  time,  the  contest 
was  terrible.  Hand  to  hand  the  fierce  antagonists  met  each  other's 
strokes,  while,  as  though  pausing  for  the  result,  died  away  the  loud 
noise  of  opposing  batteries.  Swords  and  bayonets  were  crossed,, 
rifles  clubbed,  and  friend  and  foe  mingled  in  one  confused  struggling 
mass.  Resistance,  however,  to  the  desperate  valour  of  the  assailants 


STORMING   OF   CHAPULTEPEC. 


573 


was  vain.  The  batteries  and  strong  works  were  swept,  and  thf 
ascent  to  Chapultepee  laid  open  on  that  side.  Seven  pieces  of  artil 
lery,  one  thousand  muskets,  and  five  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  were 
the  trophies  of  victory.  Among  the  prisoners  were  one  hundred 
officers,  including  a  general  and  ten  colonels. 

Captain  Casey,  the  gallant  leader  of  the  storming  party  of  regulars, 
having  received  a  severe  wound  when  directly  in  front  of  the  bat 
teries,  the  command  devolved  on  Captain  Paul,  who,  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  distinguished  himself  for  his  bravery.  The 
storming  party  from  the  volunteer  division  also  lost  its  commander, 
the  lamented  Major  Twiggs — and  was  led,  during  the  remainder  of 
the  attack,  by  Captain  James  Miller. 

At  the  same  time  the  volunteer  regiments  on  the  left,  animated  by 

a  generous  enthusiasm,  were  ascending  the  hill  on  the  south  side. 

-  Fighting  their  way  through  every  obstacle,  these  brave  men  fell  in 

with  their  comrades  of  General  Pillow's  division  ;  and  side  by  side, 

amid  the  storm  of  battle,  the  colours  of  the  two  commands  were 


574        STORMING  OF  CHAPULTEPEC. 

seen  struggling  together  up  the  steep  ascent.  At  this  moment  the 
American  batteries,  which  had  continued  their  fire  upon  the  castle 
over  the  heads  of  the  assailants,  ceased ;  and  immediately  after  the 
troops  gained  the  summit.  The  short  but  obstinate  struggle  has  been 
described.  The  veteran  Mexican,  General  Bravo,  with  a  number  of 
other  officers  was  captured,  by  Lieutenant  Charles  Brower,  of  the 
New  York  regiment.  In  the  assault  upon  the  works,  Lieutenant 
Steele,  with  a  portion  of  the  storming  party,  had  advanced  in  front 
of  the  batteries,  towards  the  left,  scaled  the  outer  wall  through  a 
breach  near  the  top,  ascended  a  hill  in  front,  and  was  among  the 
first  upon  the  battlements. 

After  giving  the  necessary  directions  for  the  safe  keeping  of  the 
prisoners,  General  Quitman  ordered  his  troops  to  form  near  the  aque 
duct,  and  hastily  ascended  the  hill,  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitering 
the  enemy's  position  in  front  of  the  city.  There  he  met  with  Major- 
General  Pillow,  who,  as  formerly  stated,  had  been  carried  by  his 
troops  to  the  castle,  in  order  to  enjoy  the  triumph  of  the  occasion. 

In  speaking  of  this  brilliant  affair,  General  Pillow  says: — "We 
took  about  eight  hundred  prisoners,  among  whom  were  Major-Ge- 
neral  Bravo,  Brigadier-Generals  Monterde,  Monega,  Doramentas, 
and  Saldana;  also,  three  colonels,  seven  lieutenant-colonels,  forty 
captains,  twenty-four  first,  and  twenty-seven  second  lieutenants. 

"  That  the  enemy  was  in  large  force,  I  know,  certainly,  from  per 
sonal  observation.  I  know  it  also  from  the  fact  that  there  were  killed 
and  taken  prisoners,  one  major-general,  and  six  brigadiers.  As  there 
were  six  brigadier- generals,  there  could  not  have  been  less  than  six 
brigades.  One  thousand  men  to  each  brigade,  (which  is  a  low  esti 
mate,  for  we  had  previously  taken  so  many  general  officers  prisoners, 
that  the  commands  of  others  must  have  been  considerably  increased,) 
would  make  six  thousand  troops.  But  independent  of  these  evi 
dences  of  the  enemy's  strength,  I  have  General  Bravo 's  own  account 
of  the  strength  of  his  command,  given  me  only  a  few  minutes  after 
he  was  taken  prisoner.  He  communicated  to  me,  through  Passed 
Midshipman  Rogers,  that  there  were  upwards  of  six  thousand  men 
in  the  works  and  surrounding  grounds.  The  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners,  agreeably  to  the  best  estimate  I  can  form,  were  about 
eighteen  hundred,  and  immense  numbers  of  the  enemy  were  seen  to 
escape  over  the  wall  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  Chapultepec." 

Many  of  those  who  distinguished  themselves  in  this  assault  have 
been  given  in  connection  with  the  narrative  ;  a  mere  list  of  others 
mentioned  with  encomiums  by  the  different  commanders,  would  alone 
fill  a  moderate  chapter.  Where  all  behaved  as  did  the  victors  of  Cha 
pultepec,  it  is  indeed  difficult  to  discriminate  in  the  awarding  of 


SKIRMISHES. 


575 


praise.  The  feat  will  remain  in  American  history  as  a  proud  trophy 
to  American  valour ;  and  the  fact  of  being  one  of  the  participators  in 
it,  will  insure  to  many  a  soldier  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  coun 
trymen  while  he  lives,  and  a  grateful  veneration  of  his  memory  after 
death. 

While  the  assault  was  going  on,  on  the  west,  and  south-east  of  Cha- 
pultepec,  and  on  its  heights,  two  companies  of  infantry,  under  Colonel 
Ironsdale  and  Lieutenant  Hebert,  aided  by  Captain  Magruder's  field- 
battery,  had  some  spirited  skirmishes  with  different  parties  of  the 
enemy.  In  one  of  these,  officers  and  men  behaved  in  a  gallant 
manner,  they  drove  the  gunners  from  a  battery  in  the  road,  and  cap 
tured  a  piece.  Colonel  Ironsdale  was  twice  wounded,  but  coc-inued 
on  duty  until  the  heights  were  carried. 


A  Mexican  Gentleman. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


STORMING    OF    BELIN    AND    SAN    COSME    GATES. 

HE   capture   of  Chapultepec 
opened  to  the  American  army 
the  direct  road  to  the  west 
ern  and  southern  portions  of 
the  city,  which  points  now  be 
came  the  objects  of  attack. 
Aware  of  the  importance  of  improving 
upon  the  impression  made  upon  the  ene 
my  by  so  heavy  a  loss,  General  Scott  de 
termined  to  waste  no  time,  but  to  press 
on  immediately  to  the  decisive  assault. 
Two  great  routes  lead  from  Chapultepec  to  the  capital.     That  on 
the  right  enters  the  Belen  with  the  Piedad  road,  from  the  south ;  the 
second  obliquing  to  the  left  intersects  the  great  western  or  San  Cosme 
road,  in  a  suburb  outside  the  San  Cosme  gate.    Each  of  these  routes 
is  an  elevated  causeway,  having  a  double  road  on  the  sides  of  an 
aqueduct  of  strong  masonry,  of  great  height,  and  resting  on  open 
(576) 


3C 


73 


DEFENCES   AT   THE    CAPITAL. 


579 


General  Scott  and  Staff. 


arches  and  massive  pillars,  affording  fine  points  both  for  attack  and 
defence.  In  addition  to  this,  the  sideways  of  both  aqueducts  were 
defended  by  many  strong  breastworks,  both  at  the  gates  and  before 
reaching  them — the  whole  presenting  a  chain  of  breastworks  every 
link  of  which  would  have  to  be  broken  before  the  city  could  be 
entered. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Chapultepec,  General  Scott 
mounted  to  the  top  of  the  castle,  where  he  was  enabled  to  take  a 
comprehensive  view  of  the  whole  field  of  operations,  and  to  control 
the  complicated  assault  upon  the  capital.  His  first  care  was  to  de 
spatch  the  brigades  of  Clarke  and  Cadwalader,  together  with  some 
heavy  guns,  to  Worth's  support,  and  Pierce's  brigade  to  Quitman's. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Howard — in  the  absence  of  Colonel  Morgan, 
wounded  at  Chapultepec — with  one  company  of  infantry,  was  ap 
pointed  to  garrison  Chapultepec,  after  receiving  directions  concerning 
the  prisoners  and  captured  stores.  Having  personally  attended  to 
the  preliminary  arrangements  for  executing  these  orders,  the  gene- 
ral-in-chief  descended,  and,  with  his  staff,  hurried  forward  to  join 
General  Worth,  who  was  already  advancing  along  the  San  Cosme 
route 

*  The  strength  of  the  fortifications  on  this  side  of  the  city,  where,  it  will  he  remem 
bered,  Santa  Anna  had  not  expected  a  serious  attack,  is  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  sagacity 
of  that  active  leader.  He  had  reason  to  boast,  as  he  afterwards  did,  that  Mexico  had 
never  beheld  such  defences  as  opposed  the  American  army.  If  he  failed  of  victory,  it 
was  owing  to  circumstances  which  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  foresee. 


SKETCH    OF    THE    ROUTES    OF 

GENERAL  WORTH'S  AND  GENERAL  QUITMAN'S  COLUMNS  FROM 
CHAPULTEPEC  TO  THE  SAN  COSME  AND  BELEN  GATES. 

In  the  attack  upon  the  City  of  Mexico,  13th  and  Hth  of  September,  1847. 


TO   CRAfU» 


k  TACUBAYA 


REFERENCES. 


A.  Garita  of  San  Cosme. 

B.  Head-quarters  of  General  Worth  on  the 

night  of  the  13th*. 

C.  Position  of  Clarke's  brigade  on  the  night 

of  the  13th. 

Cuartel. 

Cuartel  of  San  Fernando. 

Alameda. 

Paseo. 

Garita  Belen. 
I.  Battery. 
K.  Battery. 
L.  Battery. 
M.  Battery. 
N.  Battery  at  Campo  Santo. 


2151  yards  from  N..  to  P. 
1379  yards  from  P.  to  Chapultepec, 
R.  Battery. 
8.  Battery. 
T.  Head  of  General  Worth's  column  at  six 

o'clock  on  the  morning  of  14th. 
.  _  „  -  .   General  Worth's  division. 
UUU.  Road  and  aqueduct  to  Belen  gate.  Ge 
neral  Quitman's  route. 
VV.  Passage  of  Smith's  light  battalion. 
W.  Section  of  Duncan's  battery. 
XXX.  Road  and  aqueduct  to  the  garita.    Ge 

neral  Worth's  route. 
Y.  Chapultepec. 
Z.  Drum's  battery. 


(580) 


GALLANTRY    OF   WORTH. 


581 


HE    American   commander 
had  intended  to  make  but 
one  principal  attack  upon 
the  city,  which  was  to  be 
conducted  by  Worth,  against 
the  San  Cosme  gate  ;  while 
General  Quitman,  advancing  along  the 
Tacubaya  road,    was  to   threaten  the 
Belen  defences,  and  amuse  the  garri 
son,  until  Worth  had  effected  a  lodg 
ment  in  the  city. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  prior  to  the  assault  upon  Chapultepec, 
Worth  had  been  ordered  to  hold  his  division  in  readiness  to  support  the 
operations  of  General  Pillow.  When  the  latter  officer  was  wounded, 
he  sent  an  aid  to  Worth,  requesting  him  to  bring  up  his  "  whole  di 
vision,  and  make  great  haste  or  he  feared  he  would  be  too  late.'' 
This  call  seems  to  have  been  premature — not  to  say  unnecessary — 
but  Worth  promptly  despatched  Clarke's  brigade,  who,  .mingling  with 
the  assailants,  entered  side  by  side  into  the  fortress.  Although  thus 
weakened,  the  general  put  his  remaining  brigade  (Colonel  Garland's) 
in  motion,  along  the  north-eastern  base  of  the  hill,  in  direction  of  the 
San  Cosme  road.  After  advancing  about  four  hundred  yards,  the 
troops  reached  the  battery  which  had  been  assailed  by  Magruder's 
field-guns — particularly  by  the  section  under  the  gallant  Lieutenant 
Jackson,  who,  although  he  had  lost  most  of  his  horses,  and  many 
men,  was  still  remaining  firmly  at  his  post.  About  the  same  time, 
a  portion  of  Garland's  brigade  encountered  and  defeated  the  enemy's 
right,  who  had  been  for  a  long  while  hovering  near  the  hill.  Quit- 
man's  command  was  now  plainly  discernible,  fighting  their  way  along 
the  Tacubaya  aqueduct.  After  the  repulse  of  the  Mexican  right, 
Worth's  troops  discovered  an  arched  passage  through  the  aqueduct, 
and  a  cross  route  practicable  for  artillery,  extending  a  considerable 
distance  over  the  meadows  towards  the  enemy's  left,  which  was  now 
galling  Quitman's  advance.  With  a  generosity  which  does  him 
honour,  Worth  determined  to  assist  his  brother  officer  in  so  perilous 
an  extremity,  and  despatched  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan,  with  a 
section  of  his  battery,  covered  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith's  bat 
talion,  to  attack  the  enemy's  left,  which  was  supported  by  a  battery. 
Duncan  advanced  to  within  four  hundred  yards,  and  opened  a  fire 
which  drove  back  both  infantry  and  artillery.  "  Having  thus  aided," 
says  Worth,  "  the  advance,  and  cleared  the  front  (being  favourably 
situated)  of  my  gallant  friend,  Quitman,  so  far  as  it  was  in  my  power, 
this  portion  of  my  command  was  withdrawn." 
3c2 


582 


STORMING  OF  SAN  COSME  GATE. 


OLONEL  CLARKE'S  brigade  at  this 
moment  rejoined  the  division,  and  the 
advance  upon  the  main  road  was  con 
tinued.  The  troops  soon  came  up 
with  a  second  battery,  which  was 
stormed  and  taken,  a  victory  followed 
in  a  little  while  by  the  capture  of  a 
third.  Both  of  these  were  strong 
works,  enfilading  the  road.  Their 
capture  brought  the  division  to  the 
Campo  Santo,  or  English  burying 
ground,  near  which  the  road  and 
aqueduct  bend  towards  the  city.  Here  Worth  was  joined  by  the 
general-in-chief.  "  At  this  junction  of  roads,"  says  General  Scott, 
"  we  first  passed  one  of  those  formidable  systems  of  city  defences, 
spoken  of  above,  and  it  had  not  a  gun! — a  strong  proof,  1st.  That 
the  enemy  had  expected  us  to  fail  in  the  attack  upon  Chapultepec, 
even  if  we  meant  any  thing  but  a  feint ;  2d.  That  in  either  case,  we 
designed  in  his  belief  to  return  and  double  our  forces  against  the 
southern  gates,  a  delusion  kept  up  by  the  active  demonstrations  of 
Twiggs  and  the  forces  posted  on  that  side  ;  and,  3d.  That  advancing 
rapidly  from  the  reduction  of  Chapultepec,  the  enemy  had  not  time 
to  shift  guns — our  previous  captures  had  left  him  comparatively  but 
few — from  the  southern  gates. 

"  Within  those  disgarnished  works,  I  found  our  troops  engaged  in 
a  street  fight,  against  the  enemy  posted  in  gardens,  at  windows,  and 
on  house-tops — all  flat,  with  parapets.  Worth  ordered  forward  the 
mountain  howitzers,  of  Cadwalader's  brigade,  preceded  by  skir 
mishers  and  pioneers,  with  pickaxes  and  crowbars,  to  force  win 
dows  and  doors,  or  to  burrow  through  walls." 

The  troops  were  now  in  front  of  another  battery,  beyond  which, 
distant  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  sustaining  it,  was  the 
last  defence — the  San  Cosme  gate.  The  approach  to  these  works 
being  in  a  right  line,  the  entire  space  was  swept  by  grape,  shells,  and 
canister,  from  a  heavy  gun  and  howitzer.  To  this  were  added  the 
severe  fires  of  musketry  from  churches,  houses,  and  walls.  The 
spectacle  throughout  the  entire  field  was  at  this  time  awfully  sublime. 
To  the  south,  Twiggs  was  maneuvering  and  keeping  in  check  the 
enemy's  strongest  batteries,  thus  preventing  them  from  reinforcing 
the  actual  points  of  attack ;  from  the  Tacubaya  road  was  heard  the 
thunder  of  Quitman's  cannon,  as  he  hurried  on  his  shouting  troops, 
through  the  most  appalling  fires,  to  the  strongest  fortresses  of  Mexico , 
while  in  noble  emulation,  Worth  and  his  iron-nerved  followers, 


CAPTURE  OF  SAN  COSME  GATE.       583 

poured  along  the  western  road,  storming  battery  after  battery  and 
now  facing  the  last  stronghold.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Mexicans, 
gathering  all  their  energies  as  the  danger  approached,  sent  forth  vol 
leys  of  flaming  fire  whose  iron  showers  smote  fearfully  among  the 
assailants,  and  made  the  lofty  buildings  of  the  capital  totter  with 
their  reiterated  reports.  Every  possible  means  of  defence  was  thrown 
into  the  fortresses ;  and  Santa  Anna,  abandoning  to  another  general 
the  protection  of  his  strongest  work,  hurried  to  San  Cosme  to  resist 
the  threatened  entrance  of  Worth. 

On  arriving  in  front  of  the  last  mentioned  battery,  General  Worth 
found  it  necessary  to  vary  his  mode  of  operations.  Garland's  brigade 
was  thrown  within  the  aqueduct,  to  the  right,  with  instructions  to 
dislodge  the  enemy  from  the  buildings  in  their  front,  and  if  possible 
to  turn  the  left  of  the  main  defence.  At  the  same  time,  Clarke's 
brigade  entered  the  buildings  on  the  left,  and  with  bars  and  picks 
burrowed  through  the  houses  towards  the  enemy's  right.  This  work, 
although  slow  and  tedious,  was  greatly  favoured  by  the  fire  of  two 
mountain  howitzers,  posted  one  on  the  top  of  a  building  command 
ing  the  left,  the  other  on  the  church  of  San  Cosme  to  the  right.  At 
five  o'clock,  each  column  had  reached  its  position  near  the  main 
work,  when  it  became  necessary  to  advance  a  piece  of  artillery  at  all 
hazards,  to  the  enemy's  last  battery,  which  was  now  evacuated. 
Lieutenant  Hunt  was  intrusted  with  the  execution  of  this  important 
and  dangerous  duty,  which  he  performed  in  the  highest  possible 
style  of  gallantry,  moving  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  fire,  at  full 
speed,  and  planting  his  guns,  muzzle  to  muzzle,  with  those  of  the 
opposing  batteries.  Out  of  nine  men,  one  was  killed  and  four 
wounded,  although  the  distance  moved  over  was  only  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards. 

ERY  thing  was  now  in  readiness  for  the 
final  attack  of  the  two  brigades  upon  the 
right  and  left  of  the  San  Cosme  fortress. 
"  It  was  made,"  says  General  Worth,  "  by 
our  men  springing  as  if  by  magic  to  the 
tops  of  the  houses  into  which  they  had  patiently 
and  quietly  made  their  way  with  the  bar  and  pick, 
and  to  the  utter  surprise  and  consternation  of  the 
enemy,  opening  upon  him  within  easy  range,  a  destructive  fire  of 
musketry.  A  single  discharge,  in  which  many  of  his  gunners  were 
killed  by  their  pieces,  was  sufficient  to  drive  him  in  confusion  from 
the  breastworks,  when  a  prolonged  shout  from  our  brave  fellows 
announced  that  we  were  in  possession  of  the  garita  of  San  Cosme, 
and  already  in  the  city  of  Mexico." 


584 


DEPUTATION   TO    GENERAL    SCOTT. 


HE  remainder  of  the  division  now 
entered  the  city  gate.  Captain 
Huger  having  reported  to  General 
Worth,  was  desired  to  advance  a 
twenty-four-pounder  and  a  ten  inch 
mortar  to  a  convenient  position  for 
opening  upon  the  Grand  Plaza  and 
National  Palace,  supposed  to  be 
distant  about  sixteen  hundred 
yards.  At  nine ;  o'clock  this  bat 
tery  opened  with  such  admirable 
effect,  that  in  four  hours,  Worth 
was  waited  upon  bv  a  flag  from 
the  municipality,  the  bearer  of 
which  stated,  that  immediately  after 

the  heavy  guns  had  opened,  the  army  and  government  commenced 
evacuating  the  city.  The  deputation  was  passed  to  the  head-quar 
ters  of  General  Scott,  under  charge  of  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
Mackall ;  and  the  active  operations  near  San  Cosme  were  of  course 
suspended.  Worth's  loss  was  two  officers  killed,  ten  wounded,  with 
one  hundred  and  twenty-nine,  rank  and  file,  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing. 

During  these  brilliant  operations  of  General  Worth,  others  no 
less  glorious  were  being  conducted  by  Quitman  and  his  gallant 
troops,  in  the  Tacubaya  road.  Immediately  after  the  fall  of  Chapul- 
tepec,  he  had  observed  large  bodies  of  the  enemy  at  the  batteries  in 
this  route,  and  providing  himself  with  ammunition,  he  prepared  to 
march  upon  them.  The  rifle  regiment,  led  by  General  Smith,  formed 
under  the  arches  of  the  aqueduct,  and  as  the  remainder  of  his  brigade 
came  up,  that  officer  employed  them  in  levelling  the  parapets  and 
filling  the  ditches,  which  interrupted  the  road  where  the  enemy's 
batteries  had  been.  A  path  was  thus  cleared  for  the  passage  of  the 
neavy  artillery  ordered  up  by  the  general-in-chief,  after  his  arrival  at 
Chapultepec.  At  the  same  time,  General  Shields,  with  the  assist 
ance  of  General  Quitman's  staff  officers  and  his  own,  was  causing 
the  deficient  ammunition  to  be  supplied,  and  the  troops  to  be  formed 
for  the  advance,  while  Captain  Drum,  supported  by  the  rifle  regiment, 
had  taken  charge  of  one  of  the  enemy's  pieces,  and  was  advancing 
towards  the  first  battery  occupied  by  the  enemy  towards  the  city. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Tacubaya,  or  Chapultepec,  is  a 
broad  avenue,  flanked  on  either  side  by  deep  ditches  and  marshy 
grounds.  Along  its  middle  runs  the  aqueduct,  supported  by  arches 
of  heavy  masonry,  extending  onward  through  the  gate  (garita)  of 


STORMING   OF   BELEN   GATE.  5S5 

Belen  into  the  city,  Along  these  arches  the  rifles,  supported  by  the 
South  Carolina  regiment,  and  followed  by  the  remainder  of  Smith's 
brigade,  were  now  advancing.  In  their  front,  and  directly  across 
the  road,  was  a  strong  battery,  having  four  embrasures,  with  a  redan 
work  on  the  right.  Here  the  enemy  made  an  obstinate  resistance  ; 
but  by  the  aid  of  an  eight  inch  howitzer,  conducted  by  Captain 
Drum,  and  the  daring  bravery  of  the  rifle  regiment,  it  was  carried  by 
storm.  Here  the  column  was  reorganized,  for  an  attack  upon  the 
batteries  at  the  main  defence.  In  advance  were  the  riflemen,  in*:'* 
mingled  with  the  bayonets  of  the  South  Carolina  regiment — three 
rifles  and  three  bayonets  being  under  each  arch.  These  were  sup 
ported  by  the  remainder  of  Shields's  brigade,  the  2d  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  the  remnant  of  Smith's  command,  and  part  of  the  6th  in 
fantry,  under  Major  Bonneville.  In  this  order  the  column  moved 
from  arch  to  arch,  under  a  tremendous  fire  of  artillery  and  small 
arms  from  the  Belen  and  Paseo  batteries,  and  a  large  body  of  the 
enemy  on  the  Piedad  road.  Meanwhile,  Lieutenant  Benjamin  had 
brought  up  a  sixteen-pounder,  which  added  to  Captain  Drum's 
piece,  poured  into  the  fortifications  a  constant  and  destructive  fire. 
The  enfilading  fire  from  the  Piedad  road  becoming  very  annoying,  a 
few  rounds  of  canister  were  thrown  among  them  with  good  effect. 
The  whole  column  was  now  under  a  galling  fire,  but  steadily  and 
firmly  it  continued  to  move  forward  until  the  advance  was  near 
enough  for  the  charge.  This  was  executed  in  a  brilliant  manner, 
and  at  twenty  minutes  past  one,  the  Belen  gate  was  carried,  and  the 
city  entered  at  that  point.  • 

N  speaking  of  this  affair,  and 
of  the  subsequent  operations 
under  his  direction,  General 
Quitman  says: — u The  ob 
stinacy  of  the  defence  at  the 
garita  may  be  accounted  for 
by  our  being  opposed  at  that  point  by 
General  Santa  Anna  in  person,  who  is 
said  to  have  retreated  by  the  Paseo  to 
the  San  Cosine  road,  there  to  try  his 
fortune  against  General  Worth. 
4<  On  our  approach  to  the  garita,  a  body  of  the  enemy,  who  were 
seen  on  a  cross  road  threatening  our  left,  were  dispersed  by  a  brisk 
fire  of  artillery  from  the  direction  of  the  San  Cosme  road.  I  take 
pleasure  in  acknowledging  that  this  seasonable  aid  came  from  Lieu- 
ISnant-Colonel  Duncan's  battery,  which  had  been  kindly  advanced 
from  the  San  Cosme  road,  in  that  direction,  by  General  Worth's  orders. 

74 


586  STORMING   OF   BELEN   GATE. 

PON  the  taking  of  the  garita,  the  rifle 
men  and  South  Carolina  regiment 
rushed  forward  and  occupied  the  arches 
of  the  aqueduct,  within  a  hundred  yards 
^  of  the  citadel.  The  ammunition  cf  our 
heavy  guns  having  been  expended,  a 
captured  eight-pounder  was  turned  upon  the 
enemy  and  served  with  good  effect  until  the 
ammunition  taken  with  it  was  also  expended. 
The  piece,  supported  by  our  advance,  had  been 
run  forward  in  front  of  the  garita..  Twice  had  Major  Gladden,  of 
the  South  Carolina  regiment,  furnished  additional  men  to  work  the 
gun,  when  the  noble  and  brave  Captain  Drum,  who,  with  indomitable 
energy  and  iron  nerve,  had  directed  the  artillery  throughout  this  try 
ing  day,  fell  mortally  wounded  by  the  side  of  his  gun.  A  few  mo 
ments  afterwards,  Lieutenant  Benjamin,  who  had  displayed  the  same 
cool,  decided  courage,  met  a  similar  fate. 

"The  enemy,  now  perceiving  that  our  heavy  ammunition  had  been 
expended,  redoubled  their  exertions  to  drive  us  out  of  the  lodgment 
we  had  effected.  A  terrific  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms  was 
opened  from  the  citadel,  three  hundred  yards  distant,  from  the  bat 
teries  on  the  Paseo,  and  the  buildings  on  our  right  in  front.  Amid 
this  iron  shower,  which  swept  the  road  on  both  sides  of  the  aqueduct, 
it  was  impossible  to  bring  forward  ammunition  for  our  large  guns. 
While  awaiting  the  darkness  to  bring  up  our  great  guns  and  place 
them  iii  battery,  the  enemy,  under  cover  of  their  guns,  attempted 
several  sallies  from  the  citadel  and  buildings  on  the  right,  but  were 
readily  repulsed  by  the  skirmishing  parties  of  rifles  and  infantry.  To 
prevent  our  flank  from  being  enfiladed  by  musketry  from  the  Paseo, 
Captains  Naylor  and  Loeser,  2d  Pennsylvania  regiment,  were  ordered 
with  their  companies  to  a  low  sand-bag  defence  about  a  hundred 
yards,  in  that  direction.  They  gallantly  took  this  position,  and  held 
it,  in  the  face  of  a  severe  fire,  until  the  object  was  attained. 

<c  At  night  the  fire  of  the  enemy  ceased.  Lieutenant  Tower,  of  the 
engineers,  who  before  and  at  the  attack  upon  the  batteries  at  Cha- 
pultepec  had  given  important  aid,  had  been  seriously  wounded.  It 
was,  therefore,  fortunate  that,  in  the  commencement  of  the  route  to 
the  city,  Lieutenant  Beauregard,  of  engineers,  joined  me.  I  was 
enabled,  during  the  day,  to  avail  myself  of  his  valuable  services ; 
and  although  disabled,  for  a  time,  by  a  wound  received  during  the 
day,  he  superintended,  during  the  whole  night,  the  erection  of  two 
batteries  within  the  garita  for  our  heavy  guns,  and  a  breastwork  on 
our  right  for  infantry,  which,  with  his  advice,  I  had  determined  to 


CAPTURE  OF  BELEN  GATE.          587 

construct.  By  the  indefatigable  energy  of  my  acting  assistant  adju 
tant-general,  Lieutenant  Lovell,  my  volunteer  aid,  Captain  G.  T.  M. 
Davis,  and  Lieutenant  H.  Brown,  3d  artillery,  the  sand-bags  and 
ammunition  were  procured ;  Lieutenant  Beauregard,  assisted  by 
Lieutenant  Coupe,  directing  the  construction  of  one  battery  in  per 
son,  and  Lieutenant  W.  H.  Wood,  3d  infantry,  the  other.  Before 
the  dawn  of  da'y,  by  the  persevering  exertions  of  Captains  Fairchild 
and  Taylor,  of  the  New  York  regiments,  who  directed  the  working 
parties,  the  parapets  were  completed,  and  a  twenty-four  pounder,  an 
eighteen-pounder,  and  an  eight-inch  howitzer  placed  in  battery  by 
Captain  Steptoe,  3d  artillery,  who,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  had  re 
joined  my  command  in  the  evening.  The  heavy  labour  required  to 
construct  these  formidable  batteries,  under  the  very  guns  of  the  cita 
del,  was  performed  with  the  utmost  cheerfulness  by  the  gallant  men 
whose  strong  arms  and  stout  hearts  had  already  been  tested  in  two 
days  of  peril  and  toil. 

URING  the  night,  while  at  the 
trenches,  Brigadier-General  Pierce— - 
one  of  whose  regiments  (the  9th  in 
fantry)  had  joined  my  column  during 
the  day — reported  to  me  in  person. 
He  was  instructed  to  place  that  regi 
ment  in  reserve  at  the  battery  in 
rear,  for  the  protection  of  Steptoe's 
light  battery,  and  the  ammunition  at 
that  point.  The  general  has  my  thanks 
for  his  prompt  attention  to  these  orders. 
"  At  dawn  of  day  on  the  14th,  when  Captain  Steptoe  was  preparing 
his  heavy  missiles,  a  white  flag  came  from  the  citadel,  the  bearers  of 
which  invited  me  to  take  possession  of  this  fortress,  and  gave  me  the 
intelligence  that  the  city  had  been  abandoned  by  Santa  Anna  and 
his  army.  My  whole  command  was  immediately  ordered  under 
arms.  By  their  own  request,  Lieutenants  Lovell  and  Beauregard 
were  authorized  to  go  to  the  citadel,  in  advance,  to  ascertain  the  truth 
of  the  information.  At  a  signal  from  the  ramparts,  the  column,  Ge 
neral  Smith's  brigade  in  front,  and  the  South  Carolina  regiment  left 
in  garrison  at  the  garita,  marched  into  the  citadel.  Having  taken 
possession  of  this  work,  in  which  we  found  fifteen  pieces  of  cannon 
mounted,  and  as  many  not  up,  with  the  extensive  military  armaments 
which  it  contained,  the  2d  Pennsylvania  regiment  was  left  to  garri 
son  it.  Understanding  that  great  depredations  were  going  on  in  the 
palace  and  public  buildings,  I  moved  the  column  in  that  direction  in 
the  same  order,  followed  by  Captain  Steptoe's  light  battery,  through 


588  RAISING   OF   THE    AMERICAN   FLAG. 

the  principal  streets  into  the  great  plaza,  where  it  was  formed  in  front 
of  the  National  Palace.  Captain  Roberts,  of  the  rifle  regiment,  who 
had  led  the  advance  company  of  the  storming  party  at  Chapultepec, 
and  had  greatly  distinguished  himself  during  the  preceding  day,  was 
detailed  by  me  to  plant  the  star-spangled  banner  of  our  country  upon 
the  National  Palace.  The  flag,  the  first  strange  banner  which  had 
ever  waved  over  that  palace  since  the  conquest  of  Cortes,  was  dis 
played  and  saluted  with  enthusiasm  by  the  whole  command.  The 
palace,  already  crowded  with  Mexican  thieves  and  robbers,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Watson,  with  his  battalion 
of  marines.  By  his  active  exertions,  it  was  soon  cleared  and  guarded 
from  further  spoliation. 

"  Two  detachments  from  my  command,  not  heretofore  mentioned 
in  this  report,  should  be  noticed.  Captain  Gallagher  and  Lieutenant 
Reid,  who,  with  their  companies  of  New  York  volunteers,  had  been 
detailed  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  by  General  Shields  to  the  sup 
port  of  our  battery  No.  2,  well  performed  this  service.  The  former, 
by  the  orders  of  Captain  Huger,  was  detained  at  that  battery  during 
the  storming  of  Chapultepec.  The  latter,  a  brave  and  energetic  young 
officer,  being  relieved  from  the  battery  on  the  advance  to  the  castle, 
hastened  to  the  assault,  and  was  among  the  first  to  ascend  the  crest 
of  the  hill  where  he  was  severely  wounded. 

N  all  the  operations  of  the 
several  corps  under  my  com 
mand,  to  which  this  report 
refers,  it  gives  me  great  plea 
sure  to  testify  to  the  devoted 
courage  with  which  they 
faced  every  danger,  and  the 
cheerfulness  and  alacrity  with 
which  they  met  every  toil  and 
exposure.  A  simple  narra 
tive  of  those  military  events, 
crowned  as  they  were  with 
complete  success,  is  a  higher 
compliment  than  any  expressions  of  my  opinion  can  bestow  upon  the 
general  good  conduct  of  the  whole  command. 

"  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  gallant  conduct  of  the  storming 
parties.  They  deserve  the  highest  commendation.  The  losses  sus 
tained  by  Captain  Drum's  heroic  little  band  of  artillerists  from  the 
4th  artillery,  evince  their  exposure  during  the  day.  I  do  them, 
officers  and  men,  but  justice,  when  I  add  that  no  encomium  upon 
their  conduct  and  skill  would  be  misplaced. 


RESULT  OF  QUITMAN'S  OPERATIONS. 


589 


HIS  report  has  already 
shown  the  prominent  part 
taken  by  the  regiment  of 
riflemen  under  the  command 
of  the  brave  and  intrepid 
Major  Loring,  who  fell  se 
verely  wounded  by  my  side,  while  re 
ceiving  orders  for  the  final  charge  upon 
the  garita.  After  the  taking  of  the  batte 
ries  of  Chapultepec,  in  which  portions 
of  this  corps  took  an  active  part,  this 
efficient  and  splendid  regiment  were  employed  as  sharp-shooters  in 
the  advance,  through  the  arches  of  the  aqueduct,  where  their  ser 
vices  were  invaluable.  My  only  concern  was  to  restrain  their  daring 
impetuosity. 

"  The  gallant  and  unassuming  Palmetto  regiment,  which  had  charged 
up  the  ascent  of  Chapultepec  without  firing  a  gun,  was  also  employed 
to  support  and  aid  the  rifles.  In  this  service  their  loss  was  severe. 
Among  others,  the  brave  and  efficient  commander,  Major  Gladden, 
was  severely  wounded,  and  Lieutenants  J.  B.  Moraigne  and  William 
Canty,  killed.  But  they  well  sustained  the  reputation  they  had  ac 
quired  at  Vera  Cruz,  Contreras,  and  Churubusco. 

"  Brigadier- General  Shields  had  solicited  from  me  the  command  of 
the  storming  parties  in  the  morning  of  the  13th.  Not  feeling  justified 
in  permitting  so  great  an  exposure  of  an  officer  of  his  rank  with  an 
inadequate  commarftl,  and  requiring  his  invaluable  services  with  his 
brigade,  the  application  was  declined.  Until  carried  from  the  field 
on  the  night  of  the  13th,  in  consequence  of  the  severe  wound  received 
in  the  morning,  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  gallantry,  energy,  and 
skill.  In  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Smith,  who  was  ever  cool,  unem 
barrassed,  and  ready,  under  the  trying  exposures  of  the  day,  I  found 
an  able  and  most  efficient  supporter.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Geary, 
who,  in  the  illness  of  Colonel  Roberts,  commanded  the  2d  Pennsyl 
vania  regiment,  constituting  the  2d  brigade  of  my  division,  was 
wounded  before  the  walls  of  Chapultepec,  at  the  head  of  his  corps, 
but  soon  resumed  command  and  rendered  good  service." 

General  Quitman's 'loss  on  this  day  was  five  hundred  and  forty 
men,  of  whom  seventy-seven,  including  eight  officers,  were  killed, 
four  hundred  and  fifty-four  wounded,  and  nine  missing. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  storming  of  Belen  gate  had  not 
been  part  of  General  Scott's  plan  of  attack.     The  main  assault  was 
conducted   by  General  Worth,  and  during  the  afternoon,  the   com 
mander  had  repeatedly  informed  Quitman  of  his  original  design. 
»  3D 


590 


REMARKS. 


But  that  gallant  officer  continued  to  press  forward  with  increased 
success,  and  a  laudable  spirit  which  the  general-in-chief  would  not 
dampen,  by  an  order  for  his  recall.  The  consequence  was  that  the 
whole  line  of  defence  on  the  western  side  was  carried  on  the  same 
afternoon,  rendering  the  defeat  of  the  enemy  utterly  overwhelming. 
It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind,  that  during  a  great  part  of  the 
assault,  Quitman  was  opposed  by  Santa  Anna  in  person,  who  left  no 
means  untried  in  order  to  avail  himself  of  his  powerful  defences,  and 
prevent  the  entrance  of  the  Americans.  Even  the  batteries  of  El 
Paseo  and  Piedad  were  made  to  sweep  the  causeway,  along  which 
the  troops  were  passing ;  so  that  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances 
attending  this  trying  assault,  the  sentiment  will  not  appear  extrava 
gant,  which  compared  Quitman's  advance  towards  the  Belen  gate, 
to  Napoleon's  passage  of  the  Lodi.  The  immediate  consequence 
was  the  capture  of  the  capital,  so  long  the  goal  of  the  army's 
ambition. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


ENTRANCE    INTO    THE    CAPITAL. 


T  four  o'clock,  A.  M.  of  September  13,  the 
deputation  from  the  Mexican  Ayuntamiento, 
reached  the  head-quarters  of  General  Scott. 
They  reported,  as  before,  that  the  army  and 
government  had  left  the  city,  and  demanded 
in  the  name  of  the  city  council,  terms  of 
capitulation  in  favour  of  the  church,  the 
citizens,  and  municipal  authorities.  The 
general  replied  that  he  would  sign  no  such 
instrument,  since,  virtually,  the  city  had 
been  in  his  possession  for  several  hours.  While  regretting  the  escape 
of  the  Mexican  army,  he  expressed  his  determination  to  levy  a  con 
tribution  for  special  purposes,  and  to  bring  his  army  under  no  terms 

(591) 


592         QUITMAN'S  APPOINTED  GOVERNOR. 


Grand  Plaza  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 


not  self-imposed — "  such  only  as  its  own  honour,  the  dignity  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  spirit  of  the  age  should  in  my  opinion  impe 
riously  demand  and  impose."  The  substance  of  these  terms  was, 
that  the  city  should  be  laid  under  strict  martial  law ;  that  a  contribu 
tion  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  should  be  laid  upon 
the  capital,  payable  in  four,  weekly,  instalments,  and  that  no  rent 
should  be  paid  by  the  United  States  for  any  building  occupied  by 
troops  or  officers,  without  a  special  direction  from  general  head 
quarters.  On  the  other  hand,  no  private  house  was  to  be  occupied 
by  the  American  troops  without  the  free  consent  of  the  owner,  or  an 
order  from  General  Scott,  while  the  collection  of  duties  at  the  several 
gates  of  the  city  was  continued  as  before,  in  the  hands  of  the  Mexi 
can  authorities.  A  Mexican  police  was  organized  to  act  in  concert 
with  the  Americans  ;  and  the  city,  with  its  public  buildings  and 
places  of  religious  worship,  was  placed  under  the  especial  safeguard 
of  the  army.  General  Quitman  was  appointed  civil  and  military 
governor,  and  Captain  Naylor  superintendent  of  the  National  Palace. 
At  the  termination  of  the  interview,  the  general-in-chief  commu 
nicated  orders  to  Generals  Worth  and  Quitman,  to  advance  slowly 
and  cautiously  towards  the  heart  of  the  city,  so  as  to  occupy  its 
strongest  and  most  commanding  positions.  It  was  under  obe 
dience  to  these  orders  that  Quitman,  as  before  related,  proceeded  to 


FIRING   FROM   HOUSE   TOPS. 


593 


City  of  Mexico.     Popocatepetl  and  Iztaccihuatl  in  the  distance, 

the  grand  plaza,  planted  guards,  and  hoisted,  on  the  National  Palace, 
the  colours  of  the  United  States.  "  In  this  grateful  service,"  observes 
the  commander,  "  Quitman  might  have  been  anticipated  by  Worth, 
but  for  my  express  orders  halting  the  latter  at  the  head  of  the  alameda, 
(a  green  park,)  within  three  squares  of  that  goal  of  general  ambition. 
The  capital,  however,  was  not  taken  by  any  one  or  two  corps,  but 
by  the  talent,  the  science,  the  gallantry,  the  prowess  of  this  entire 
army.  In  the  glorious  conquest  all  had  contributed — early  and 
powerfully — the  killed,  the  wounded,  and  tJie  fit  for  duty — at  Vera 
Cruz,  Cerro  Gordo,  Contreras,  San  Antonio,  Churubusco,  (three  bat 
tles,)  the  Molinos  del  Rey,  and  Chapultepec — as  much  as  those  who 
fought  at  the  gates  of  Belen  and  San  Cosme." 

The  advance  divisions  were  followed  by  the  remainder  of  the  army, 
under  the  personal  direction  of  Major- General  Scott.  The  officers 
were  dressed  in  full  uniform,  the  military  bands  sent  forth  strains  of 
national  music,  and  altogether,  the  entrance  was  conducted  in  a 
manner  highly  gratifying  to  the  soldiers. 

Immediately  after  entering,  the  troops  were  fired  upon  from  the 
roofs  of  houses,  windows,  and  corners  of  the  streets,  by  about  two 
thousand  convicts  liberated  by  the  flying  government,  and  assisted  by 
as  many  Mexican  soldiers,  who  had  disbanded  themselves  and  thrown 
off  their  uniforms.  Worth  and  Quitman's  divisions  had  previously 
suffered  from  the  same  source.  In  spite  of  the  exertions  of  the  muni 
cipal  authorities,  this  unlawful  war  was  not  stopped  until  the  Ameri- 
3D2  75 


594  SUMMARY   OF    OPERATIONS. 

cans  had  lost  many  men,  including  Colonel  Garland  wounded,  and 
Lieutenant  Sidney  Smith,  killed.  The  object  of  this  assassin-like 
fire  was  to  gratify  national  hatred,  and  amid  the  general  confusion, 
to  plunder  the  deserted  houses  and  wealthy  inhabitants.  The  most 
active  operations  were  conducted  against  them,  which  were  at  length 
successful,  and  quiet  was  restored. 

Immediately  on  assuming  quarters,  General  Scott  issued  a  procla 
mation,  enforcing  rules  of  order  to  be  observed  by  the  American  army, 
and  calling  on  the  troops  to  return  public  thanks  to  Almighty  God, 
for  the  late  important  conquests.  Under  his  admirable  arrangements, 
together  with  those  of  Governor  Quitman,  the  citizens  returned  to 
their  homes,  business  slowly  revived,  and  the  city  resumed  its  wonted 
appearance  of  beauty  and  cheerfulness. 

The  operations  in  the  valley  of  Mexico  are  so  stupendous,  that  we 
give  General  Scott's  summary  of  them,  together  with  the  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners,  on  each  side,  in  order  that  they  may  at  once 
be  embraced  in  a  single  view. 

"  Leaving,  as  we  all  feared,"  says  the  general- in- chief,  "  inade 
quate  garrisons  at  Vera  Cruz,  Perote,  and  Puebla — with  much  larger 
hospitals  ;  and  being  obliged,  most  reluctantly,  from  the  same  cause 
(general  paucity  of  numbers)  to  abandon  Jalapa,  we  marched  [Au 
gust  7-10]  from  Puebla  with  only  ten  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  rank  and  file.  This  number  includes  the  garrison  of 
Jalapa,  and  the  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty-nine  men 
brought  up  by  Brigadier-General  Pierce,  August  6th. 

"At  Contreras,  Churubusco,  &c.,  [August  20,]  we  had  but  eight 
thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven  men  engaged — after  deduct 
ing  the  garrison  of  San  Augustin,  (our  general  depot,)  the  interme 
diate  sick  and  the  dead  ;  at  the  Molinos  del  Rey,  [September  8,]  but 
three  brigades,  with  some  cavalry  and  artillery — making  in  all  three 
thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  men — were  in  the  battle ;  in  the 
two  days — September  12  and  13 — our  whole  operating  force,  after 
deducting  again,  the  recent  killed,  wounded,  and  sick,  together  with 
thie  garrison  of  Mixcoac  (the  then  general  depot)  and  that  of  Tacu- 
baya,  was  but  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty ;  and,  finally, 
after  deducting  the  new  garrison  at  Chapultepec,  with  the  killed  and 
wounded  of  the  two  days,  we  took  possession  [September  14]  of  this 
great  capital  with  less  than  six  thousand  men !  And  I  reassert,  upon 
accummulated  and  unquestionable  evidence,  that,  in  not  one  of  those 
conflicts,  was  this  army  opposed  by  fewer  than  three  and  a  half  times 
its  numbers — in  several  of  them,  by  a  yet  greater  excess. 

€l  I  recapitulate  our  losses  since  we  arrived  in  the  basin  of  Mexico : 

"  August  19,  20.     Killed,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven,  includ- 


LOSSES  IN  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED. 


595 


ing  fourteen  officers.  Wounded,  eight  hundred  and  seventy-seven, 
including  sixty-two  officers.  Missing,  (probably  killed)  thirty-eight 
rank  and  file.  Total,  one  thousand  and  fifty-two. 

"  September  8. — Killed,  one  hundred  and  sixteen,  including  nine 
officers.  Wounded,  six  hundred  and  sixty-five,  including  forty-nine 
officers.  Missing,  eighteen  rank  and  file.  Total,  seven  hundred 
and  eighty-nine. 

"September  12,  13,  14, — Killed,  one  hundred  and  thirty,  includ 
ing  ten  officers.  Wounded,  seven  hundred  and  three,  including 
sixty-eight  officers.  Missing,  twenty-nine  rank  and  file.  Total, 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-two. 

"  Grand  total  of  losses,  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  three, 
including  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  officers. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  this  small  force  has  beaten,  on  the  same  occa 
sions,  in  view  of  their  capital,  the  whole  Mexican  army,  of  (at  the 
beginning)  thirty  odd  thousand  men — posted,  always,  in  chosen  po 
sitions,  behind  intrenchments,  or  more  formidable  defences  of  nature 
and  art ;  killed  or  wounded,  of  that  number,  more  than  seven  thou 
sand  officers  and  men  ;  taken  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty 
prisoners,  one-seventh  officers,  including  thirteen  generals,  of  whom 
three  had  been  presidents  of  this  republic ;  captured  more  than 
twenty  colours  and  standards,  seventy-five  pieces  of  ordnance,  be 
sides  fifty-seven  wall-pieces,  twenty  thousand  small  arms,  an  immense 
quantity  of  shot,  shells,  powder,  &c.,  &c. 

F  that  enemy,  once  so  formidable  in  num 
bers,  appointments,  artillery,  &c.,  twenty 
odd  thousand  men  have  disbanded  them 
selves  in  despair,  leaving,  as  is  known, 
not  more  than  three  fragments — the  largest 
about  two  thousand  five  hundred — now 
wandering  in  different  directions,  with- 

[j   ''  -/?^n  ^PT*   \  \ 

/  H  m    \R)V        ou*   magazines  or   a   military  chest,  and 

living  at  free  quarters  upon   their   own 
people. 

"  General  Santa  Anna,  himself  a  fugitive,  is  believed  to  be  on  the 
point  of  resigning  the  chief  magistracy,  and  escaping  to  neutral  Guati- 
mala  A  new  president,  no  doubt,  will  soon  be  declared,  and  the 
federal  congress  is  expected  to  reassemble  at  Queretaro,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles  north  of  this,  on  the  Zacatecas  road,  some 
time  in  October.  I  have  seen  and  given  safe  conduct  through  this 
city  to  several  of  its  members.  The  government  will  find  itself  with 
out  resources;  no  army,  no  arsenals,  no  magazines,  and  but  little 
revenue,  internal  or  external.  Still  such  is  the  obstinacy,  or  rather 


596  COMMENDATION   OF   OFFICERS. 

infatuation,  of  this  people,  that  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  the 
authorities  will  dare  sue  for  peace  on  the  terms  which,  in  the  recent 
negotiations,  were  made  known  by  our  minister.  -Ar 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  enumerate,  once  more,  with  due  com 
mendation  and  thanks,  the  distinguished  staff  officers,  general  and 
personal,  who,  in  our  last  operations  in  front  of  the  enemy,  accom 
panied  me,  and  communicated  orders  to  every  point  and  through 
every  danger.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hitchcock,  acting  inspector-gene 
ral  ;  Major  Turnbull  and  Lieutenant  Hardcastle,  topographical  engi 
neers;  Major  Kirby,  chief  paymaster;  Captain  Irwin,  chief  quarter 
master;  Captain  Grayson,  chief  commissary;  Captain  H.  L.  Scott, 
chief  in  the  adjutant-general's  department ;  Lieutenant  Williams,  aid- 
de-camp  ;  Lieutenant  Lay,  military  secretary,  and  Major  J.  P.  Gaines, 
Kentucky  cavalry,  volunteer  aid-de-camp.  Captain  Lee,  engineer, 
so  constantly  distinguished,  also  bore  important  orders  from  me  (Sep 
tember  13)  until  he  fainted  from  a  wound  and  the  loss  of  two  nights' 
sleep  at  the  batteries.  Lieutenants  Beauregard,  Stevens,  and  Tower, 
all  wounded,  were  employed  with  the  divisions,  and  Lieutenants  G. 
W.  Smith  and  G.  B.  McClellan  with  the  company  of  sappers  and 
miners.  Those  five  lieutenants  of  engineers,  like  their  captain,  won 
the  admiration  of  all  about  them.  The  ordnance  officers,  Captain 
Huger,  Lieutenants  Hagner,  Stone,  and  Reno,  were  highly  effective, 
and  distinguished  at  the  several  batteries ;  and  I  must  add  that  Cap 
tain  McKinstrey,  assistant  quartermaster,  at  the  close  of  the  opera 
tions,  executed  several  important  commissions  for  me  as  a  special 
volunteer. 

"Surgeon-General  Lawson,  and  the  medical  staff  generally,  were 
skilful  and  untiring  in  and  out  of  fire,  in  administering  to  the  nume 
rous  wounded." 

Cojmment  upon  the  achievements  described  in  this  extract  is  un 
necessary.  The  immediate  result,  as  has  been  already  stated,  was 
the  undisputed  possession  of  the  most  splendid  capital  of  the  Ame 
rican  continent ;  the  remote  result,  the  restoration  of  peace,  and 
cession  of  an  immense  tract  of  territory  to  the  United  States, 


Western  part  of  Puebla  de  los  Angeles. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 


SIEGE    OP   PUEBLA. 

N  the  march  of  the  American  army  from  Pue 
bla  towards  the  capital,  the  command  of  that 
city  was  intrusted  to  Colonel  Childs.  His 
total  force  was  about  four  hundred  men,  con 
sisting  of  forty-six  cavalry,  under  Captain 
Ford,  two  companies  of  artillery,  under  Cap 
tains  Kendrick  and  Miller,  and  six  com 
panies  of  the  1st  Pennsylvania  volunteers, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Black.  With  this 
small  command,  the  grand  depot  in  the  city 
named  San  Jose,  and  the  posts  of  Loreto  and  Guadalupe,  were  to 
be  garrisoned  and  held  against  the  combined  efforts  of  the  military 
and  populace  in  Puebla.  San  Jose  was  the  key  of  the  colonel's  po 
sition,  on  the  safety  of  which  that  of  every  other  depended. 

(597) 


598 


SIEGE    OF   PUEBLA. 


In  addition  to  the  smallness  of  the  garrison,  and  the  extent  of  space 
to  be  covered,  the  Americans  were  encumbered  with  eighteen  hun 
dred  sick.  The  hospitals  for  these  were  situated  in  isolated  positions, 
while  the  surgeons  were  provided  with  but  six  attendants. 

After  the  departure  of  the  main  army,  no  acts  of  hostility  other 
than  the  occasional  murdering  of  a  straggling  soldier,  occurred  until 
September  13,  the  same  day  in  which  the  Mexican  qapitalwas  taken. 
During  the  night  of  that  date,  the  enemy  opened  a  fire  upon  the 
Americans  from  the  streets  of  Puebla.  Colonel  Childs  had  for  some 
time  been  expecting  this,  and  had  removed  all  the  hospitals  within 
the  protection  of  San  Jose,  and  placed  every  man  of  his  command  on 
duty.  The  firing  of  the  13th  continued  languidly  until  after  daylight, 
when  everything  became  quiet.  On  the  night  of  the  14th,  the  guns 
were  reopened  with  a  violence  which  convinced  the  colonel  that  the 
siege  had  commenced  in  earnest.  A  storm  of  bombs  and  shot  was 
thrown  into  the  fortifications  until  morning,  while  numerous  bodies 
of  troops  were  heard  taking  up  positions  around  the  American  sta 
tions.  On  the  15th,  large  parties  of  cavalry  were  observed  in  the 
fields,  gathering  together  the  sheep  and  cattle,  and  endeavouring  to 
turn  the  stream  of  water  which  supplies  San  Jose.  In  the  evening, 
Colonel  Childs  organized  two  parties  to  secure,  if  possible,  some  of 
the  live  stock.  They  succeeded  in  capturing  thirty  oxen  and  four 
hundred  sheep — a  most  seasonable  supply  at  the  time. 

URING  the  day,  the  fire  of  the 
^  enemy  was  unabated,  and  large 

reinforcements  were  observed  to 
join  them  from  the  interior. 
Nearly  every  station  in  the  city 
from  which  a  battery  could  be 
discharged,  was  now  occupied 
by  the  Mexicans,  and  under  a 
most  tremendous  fire,  the 
Americans  laboured  night  and 
day  in  completing  their  de 
fences,  and  preparing  for  an 
assault. 

On   the  22d,   General  Santa 

Anna  arrived  with  a  large  force  from  Mexico.  His  appearance  was 
hailed  by  discharges  of  cannon,  a  general  ringing  of  bells,  and  other 
demonstrations  of  joy.  A  battery  at  Loreto  was  opened  by  command 
of  Colonel  Childs,  which,  throwing  shells  and  round  shot  into  the 
heart  of  the  city,  did  considerable  execution,  besides  causing  a  tem 
porary  suspension  of  the  rejoicing.  Santa  Anna,  with  his  customary 


SIEGE    OF   PUEBLA. 


599 


Colonel  Childs. 


activity,  immediately  began  preparations  for  an  assault.  New  bat 
teries  were  planted,  storming  parties  designated,  and  a  more  perfect 
organization  of -the  besiegers  enforced. 

On  the  25th,  Childs  received  a  summons  to  surrender,  with  the 
assurance  that  he  would  be  treated  in  a  manner  worthy  of  his  valour 
and  military  rank.  This  was  declined.  After  despatching  his  an 
swer,  the  colonel  rode  to  the  different  posts  of  his  garrison,  announc 
ing  the  demand,  together  with  the  reply.  This  was  received  by  the 
soldiers  in  a  manner  which  convinced  him  of  their  determination  to 
endure  every  hardship  and  danger  rather  than  disgrace  themselves 
by  yielding  to  the  Mexican  forces. 

After  receiving  this  answer  from  the  American  commander,  Santa 
Anna  opened  his  batteries  upon  San  Jose,  which  now  became  the 
principal  point  of  attack.  Its  garrison  consisted  of  Ford's  cavalry, 
Miller's  artillery,  four  companies  of  volunteers,  and  a  hospital,  with 
its  guard,  under  Captain  Rowe.  The  whole  was  commanded  by 
Lieutenr.nt-Colonel  Black.  "  The  duty  required  of  this  command," 


600  SORTIE    FROM   THE    GARRISON. 

says  Colonel  Childs,  "  in  consequence  of  the  various  points  to  be  de 
fended,  demanded  an  untiring  effort  on  the  part  of  every  officer  and 
soldier.  A  shower  of  bullets  was  constantly  poured  from  the  streets, 
the  balconies,  the  house-tops,  and  churches,  upon  their  devoted 
heads.  Never  did  troops  endure  more  fatigue,  by  watching  night 
after  night — nor  exhibit  more  patience,  spirit,  and  gallantry.  Not  a 
post  of  danger  could  present  itself,  but  the  gallant  fellows  were  ready 
to  fill  it.  Not  a  sentinel  could  be  shot,  but  another  was  anxious  and 
ready  to  take  his  place.  Officers  and  soldiers  vied  with  each  other 
to  be  honoured  martyrs  in  their  country's  cause.  This  is  the  gene 
ral  character  of  the  troops  I  had  the  honour  to  command,  and  I  was 
confident  the  crown  of  victory  would  perch  upon  their  standard  when 
the  last  great  effort  should  be  made." 

N  order,  as  far  as  possible,  to  secure 
San  Jose  from  the  enemy's  shot,  Childs 
threw  up  a  traverse  on  the  plaza,  and 
withdrew  a  twelve-pounder  from  Loreto, 
to  answer  the  besieging  batteries.  On 
the  evening  of  the  30th,  a  new  battery 
of  Santa  Anna  ceased,  and  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning  was  withdrawn,  to 
gether  with  about  three  thousand  of 
the  supporting  force.  The  object  of 
this  movement  was  to  meet  some  rein 
forcements  daily  expected  at  Final.  Taking  advantage  of  it,  Colo 
nel  Childs  determined  on  a  sortie  against  certain  barricades  and 
buildings,  whose  fire  had  become  very  annoying. 

The  sortie  was  made  on  the  2d  of  October,  by  two  parties  com 
manded  by  Captain  Wm.  F.  Small,  of  the  1st  Pennsylvania  volun 
teers,  and  Lieutenant  Morgan,  of  the  14th  regiment.  The  captain,  after 
passing  through  the  walls  of  an  entire  square,  with  fifty  men,  gained  a 
position  opposite  the  barricade,  from  which  he  drove  the  enemy  with 
great  loss,  and  burned  one  hundred  and  fifty  cotton  bales,  of  which 
the  work  was  composed.  Seventeen  Mexicans  were  killed  upon  the 
spot.  Lieutenant  Laidley,  of  the  ordnance  corps,  was  then  sent  to 
blow  up  a  prominent  building,  which  he  successfully  accomplished. 
The  whole  party  were  then  withdrawn.  In  this  affair  they  had  be 
haved  with  great  gallantry,  and  for  twenty-four  hours  were  unceasing 
in  their  labours  to  accomplish  their  object.  Their  loss  was  but  a  few 
wounded. 

At  the  same  time,  Lieutenants  Morgan  and  Merryfield,  with  de 
tachments  from  the  marines  and  rifles,  attempted  to  gain  possession 
of  some  buildings  from  which  the  depot  was  receiving  a  heavy  fire 


ARRIVAL    OF    GENERAL    LANE. 


601 


The  latter  officer  succeeded  in  entering;  but  Lieutenant  Morgan  was 
not 'so  fortunate.  After  several  desperate  efforts  to  force  a  passage 
through  the  strong  detachment  opposed  to  him,  he  was  directed  by 
Colonel  Childs  to  fall  back.  These  gallant  feats  were  a  severe  check 
upon  the  enemy,  and  produced  a  sensible  diminution  of  their  fire. 
Other  mjnor  acts  of  bravery  were  performed  by  officers  and  men  at 
San  Jose ;  while  from  Guadalupe  one  or  two  successful  sorties  were 
made  upon  the  enemy  while  engaged  in  their  daily  attacks  upon 
San  Jose. 

Immediately  after  this  disaster,  Santa  Anna  left  the  besieging  forces, 
and  hurried  to  oppose  the  march  of  General  Lane  from  Vera  Cruz. 
The  bombardment  and  cannonade  continued,  however,  with  dimi 
nished  energy,  until  October  12,  when  General  Lane  arrived  with 
reinforcements  for  the  wearied  garrison. 

HROUGHOUT  the  whole  of  this  trying 
siege.  Colonel  Childs  behaved  in  a 
manner  which  proved  him  worthy  of 
the  confidence  of  the  general-in-chief. 
He  pays  merited  compliments  to  the 
officers  and  men.  Besides  those  whose 
actions  have  been  particularized,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Black  afforded  most 
able  support,  and  fof  more  than  thirty 
days  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  for  the 
preservation  of  his  post.  Lieutenant 
Laidley  stationed  himself  at  the  barri 
cade,  night  after  night,  firing  upon  the 
enemy  with  great  effect  from  a  twelve- 
pounder,  a  mountain  howitzer,  and  four 
rocket  batteries.  Similar  duties  were 
performed  by  Captains  Kendrick  and 
Miller.  Captain  T.  G.  Morehead,  1st 
Pennsylvania  volunteers,  commanding  at  Guadalupe,  succeeded,  by 
constant  labour,  in  placing  the  dilapidated  works  of  that  place  in 
good  condition ;  and  although  he  sustained  no  serious  attack,  yet  by 
frequent  sorties,  he  was  of  great  assistance  to  the  garrison  at  San  Jose. 
The  colonel  thus  speaks  of  .other  officers : 

"To  Captain  Rowe,  of  the  9th  infantry,  who  commanded  the 
guard  of  one  of  the  hospitals,  (a  constant  point  of  attack  both  day  and 
night,)  I  am  greatly  indebted  for  his  able  defence  of  that  position, 
and  his  gallant  bearing  before  the  enemy.  To  Sergeant  Mills,  chief 
of  the  medical  department,  and  to  his  assistants,  great  praise  is  due 
for  their  unwearied  and  laborious  services.  Left  with  eighteen  hun 
3E  76 


602 


LENGTH   OF   THE    SIEGE. 


dred  sick  and  limited  supplies,  with  but  six  assistants,  their  utmost 
exertions  were  necessary  to  administer  timely  remedies  to  so  many 
patients.  Their  attention  to  the  wounded  deserves  my  notice  and 
thanks.  These  gentlemen  were  not  only  occupied  in  their  profes 
sional  duties,  but  the  want  of  officers  and  men  compelled  me  to  make 
large  requisitions  for  the  defence  of  the  hospitals,  on  surgeons  and 
invalids,  and  they  were  nightly  on  guard,  marshaling  their  men  upon 
the  roofs  and  other  points.  I  should  be  unjust  to  myself,  and  to  the 
spy  company  under  Captain  Pedro  Arria,  if  I  did  not  call  the  atten 
tion  of  the  general-in-chief  to  their  invaluable  services.  From  them 
I  received  the  most  accurate  information  of  the  movements  of  the 
enemy,  and  the  designs  of  the  citizens ;  through  them  I  was  enabled 
to  apprehend  several  officers  and  citizens  in  their  nightly  meetings  to 
consummate  their  plans  for  raising  the  populace.  The  spy  company 
fought  gallantly,  and  are  now  so  compromised  that  they  must  leave 
the  country  when  our  army  retires.  The  gallant  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Waelder  upon  the  enemy,  although  rash,  exhibits  him  as  an  officer 
not  to  be  intimidated  by  numbers.  His  duties  have  been  arduous 
and  dangerous,  having  daily  to  carry  orders  through  the  thickest  of 
the  fight.  To  Mr.  Wengierski,  secretary  and  translator,  I  am  much 
indebted  for  invaluable  services.  In  addition  to  his  appropriate 
duties,  he  conducted  the  operations  of  the  spy  company,  and  through 
his  suggestions  ariti  active  exertions  I  received  much  valuable  infor 
mation,  and  many  successful  expeditions  of  spies  into  the  city  were 
made.  Mr.  Wengierski  commanded  the  detachment  on  the  roof  of 
my  quarters,  and  was  the  first  man  wounded.  From  his  after  efforts, 
his  wound  proved  severe  and  painful ;  still  he  performed  his  various 
duties  night  and  day,  and  is  worthy  of  my  approbation." 

The  siege  of  Puebla  lasted  forty  days,  and  was  the  longest  single 
military  operation  of  the  war.  When  we  remember  that  it  was  sus 
tained  by  some  four  hundred  troops,  encumbered  by  sick,  and  de 
ficient  in  supplies,  against  an  army  of  eight  thousand,  [Santa  Anna's 
statements,]  the  result  will  appear  astonishing.  On  the  same  day 
that  it  commenced,  six  thousand  men,  countrymen  of  the  garrison, 
stormed  almost  impregnable  bulwarks,  defended  by  thirty  thousand 
men,  and  entered  triumphantly  into  the  capital  of  Mexico ! 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

BATTLES  OF   HUAMANTLA  AND  ATLIXCO. 

RUMOURS  of  the  enemy's  designs 
upon  Puebla,  and  of  large  parties  in 
festing  the  road  leading  to  that  city, 
reached  Vera  Cruz  in  the  latter  part 
of  September.  In  consequence  of  the 
information,  General  Lane  left  the 

latter  place  with  a  considerable  force,  and  marched  for  the  interior. 
He  was  not  long  without  sight  of  an  enemy.  At  the  hacienda  of 
Santa  Anna,  near  the  San  Juan  river,  he  came  up  with  a  party  of 
guerrillas.  Captain  Lewis's  company  of  mounted  volunteers  was 
sent  in  pursuit,  and  a  portion  under  Lieutenant  Lilly  succeeded  in 
overtaking  them.  A  short  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  the  lieutenant 
behaved  with  great  bravery,  and  finally  drove  the  Mexicans  from 
their  position.  After  this  slight  interruption,  the  whole  command 
proceeded  until  it  reached  the  Paso  de  Ovejas,  where  the  rear  guard 
was  fired  upon  by  a  small  guerrilla  force,  and  Lieutenant  Cline,  an 
efficient  young  officer,  killed. 

This  march  was  unusually  fatiguing  to  the  troops,  on  account  of 
the  heat  of  the  weather,  and  nature  of  the  road.  Occasionally  but  a. 
part  of  the  general's  force  could  move  forward  ;  and  frequently  the 

(603) 


604 


BATTLE    OF   HUAMANTLA. 


artillery  was  greatly  delayed  amid  ravines,  passes,  and  other  natural 
obstructions.  Meanwhile  rumours  continued  to  multiply,  concerning 
a  large  Mexican  force  concentrating  between  Perote  and  Puebla. 
On  arriving  at  the  former  place,  General  Lane  received  confirmation 
of  these  reports,  with  the  additional  information  that  they  numbered 
four  thousand  men,  with  six  pieces  of  artillery,  and  were  commanded 
by  Santa  Anna  in  person.  At  the  hacienda  of  San  Antonio  Tamaris, 
he  learned  from  his  spies  that  the  enemy  were  then  at  Huamantla,  a 
city  but  a  few  miles  off.  He  promptly  determined  to  march  there, 
and  if  possible,  give  their  army  battle. 

N  order  to  execute  this 
as  speedily  as  possible 
the  general  left  his  train 
packed  at  Tamaris's, 
under  charge  of  Colonel 
Brough's  regiment  of 
Ohio  volunteers,  Cap 
tain  Simmon's  battalion, 
and  a  battery  under 
Lieutenant  Pratt.  With 
.  the  remainder  of  the 
command,  consisting 
of  Colonel  Wynkoop's 
battalion,  Colonel 
Gorman's  regiment  of 
Indiana  volunteers,  Captain  Heintzelman's  battalion  of  six  compa 
nies,  Major  Lally's  mounted  men,  under  Captain  Walker,  and  five 
pieces  of  artillery,  under  Captain  Taylor.  After  moving  forward  as 
rapidly  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  admitted,  the  column  came  in 
sight  of  the  city  at  one  o'clock  of  October  9.  The  troops  being 
halted,  the  advance  guard  of  horsemen,  under  Captain  Walker,  was 
ordered  to  move  forward  to  the  entrance  of  the  city,  but  not  to  enter 
if  the  enemy  were  in  force,  until  the  arrival  of  the  infantry.  When 
within  about  three  miles,  Walker  observed  parties  of  horsemen  riding 
over  the  fields  towards  the  city ;  and  lest  he  might  be  anticipated,  his 
men  were  put  to  a  gallop.  His  progress  was  anxiously  watched 
by  General  Lane,  until  owing  to  a  hedge  of  thick  maguay  bushes  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  his  movements  were  concealed  from  view. 
In  a  few  minutes  firing  was  heard  from  the  city.  About  the  same 
time  a  body  of  two  thousand  lancers  were  seen  hurrying  over  the 
neighbouring  hills,  and  General  Lane  ordered  Colonel  Gorman  to 
advance  with  his  regiment  and  enter  Huamantla  from  the  west,  while 
Colonel  Wynkoop  moved  towards  the  east. 


DEATH   Of   CAPTAIN   WALKER. 


605 


APTAIN  WALKER,  on  arriving  at  the 
entrance  of  the  city,  had  discovered  about 
five  hundred  of  the  enemy  drawn  up  in  the 
plaza.  He  immediately  ordered  a  charge. 
Dashing  among  the  Mexicans,  his  handful 
of  men  engaged  hand  to  hand  with  three 
times  their  number,  and  after  a  close  and 
bloody  conflict,  drove  them  away  and  cap 
tured  three  guns.  A  vigorous  pursuit 
commenced,  in  which  many  feats  of  daring 
were  performed,  among  which  was  the 
capture  of  Colonel  La  Vega  and  Major 
Iturbide,  by  Lieutenant  Anderson,  of  the  Georgia  volunteers.  The 
former  was  a  brother  of  General  La  Vega,  and  the  latter  a  son  of  the 
unfortunate  emperor  of  Mexico.  Anderson  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life.  A  Mexican  lieutenant  was  also  taken. 

After  pursuing  the  enemy  some  distance,  Walker's  men  impru 
dently  dispersed,  and  returned  to  the  square  in  small  parties.  This 
was  in  consequence  of  a  belief  that  the  enemy's  entire  force  had  been 
routed.  Suddenly  a  company  of  lancers  charged  upon  the  plaza, 
and  succeeded  in  separating  the  Americans  into  bodies.  A  despe 
rate  fight  took  place,  in  which  the  Mexicans  behaved  with  unwonted 
courage  ;  but  by  skilful  maneuvering,  Walker  succeeded  in  uniting 
his  forces,  and  entered  the  convent  yard,  where  the  command  was 
dismounted.  Here  another  action  took  place,  in  which  the  lancers 
were  assisted  by  both  artillery  and  infantry.  Here,  while  directing 
the  movements  of  his  little  band,  Captain  Walker  fell  mortally 
wounded,  and  soon  afterwards  expired.  The  enemy  were  driven 
back. 

The  exact  manner  in  which  Walker  met  his  death  is  uncertain. 
The  popular  account  is  that  he  was  lanced  during  the  final  charge  by 
a  Mexican  whose  son  he  had  just  slain.  Authority  equally  reliable, 
states  that  he  was  shot  from  a  house  in  which  was  displayed  a  white 
flag.  Few  men  were  ever  more  sincerely  lamented.  When  the  cry 
"  Captain  Walker  is  dead"  rang  through  his  company,  the  hardy  soldiers 
burst  into  tears;  and  throughout  the  United  States  the  profoundest 
emotions  of  sorrow  were  exibited  at  the  news.  He  was  one  of  the 
best  officers  in  service  ;  and  the  fame  of  his  exploits  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
was  not  only  spread  over  America,  but  throughout  the  most  important 
countries  of  Europe.  He  had  been  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of  the 
Texan  revolution,  and  "by  a  strange  coincidence,  he  fell  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  castle,  where  he  once  pined-  in  captivity,  but 
not  in  his  former  unhappy  condition,  as  one  of  a  few  ragged,  dispirited, 
3E2 


BATTLE    OF   HUAMANTLA. 


Major  Iturbide. 

half  starved  prisoners,  jeered  at  by  the  dastard  Mexicans,  but  in  a 
glorious  battle,  heading  the  charge  of  the  resistless  rangers  and  in 
the  arms  of  victory." 

Meanwhile  the  main  column  of  the  American  forces  arrived  at  the 
city,  and  opened  their  fire  upon  masses  of  the  enemy.  Gorman, 
with  the  left  wing  of  his  regiment,  proceeded  towards  the  upper  part 
of  the  town,  where  the  enemy  still  were,  and  succeeded  in  dispersing 
them.  At  the  same  time  Colonel  Wynkoop's  command  had  assumed 
position ;  but  before  they  could  open  their  batteries,  the  Mexicans 
had  fled. 

In  this  hard-fought  action,  the  loss  of  the  Americans  was  thirteen 
killed  and  eleven  wounded.  They  succeeded  in  capturing  one  six- 
pounder  brass  gun,  a  mountain  howitzer,  numerous  wagons,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  ammunition.  The  Mexicans  lost  in  killed  and 
wounded  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

After  this  battle,  General  Lane  marched  to  the  relief  of  Colonel 


BATTLE    OF   ATLIXCO. 


607 


Captain  Walka 

Ghilds.  He  remained  at  Puebla  with  his  whole  force  until  the  even 
ing  of  the  18th  of  October,  when  information  was  received  that  the 
Mexican  general,  Rea,  was  at  Atlixco,  thirty  miles  distant,  in  con 
siderable  force.  Lane  immediately  ordered  his  troops  to  be  ready 
for  marching  on  the  following  morning,  at  eleven  o'clock.  At  that 
time  he  left  Puebla  with  nearly  the  same  force  that  had  entered  it, 
and  after  a  forced  march  of  five  hours'  duration,  came  in  sight  of  the 
enemy's  advance  guard,  near  Santa  Isabella.  Here  a  halt  was  made, 
until  the  cavalry  could  come  up  from  their  examination  of  a  neigh 
bouring  hacienda.  Meanwhile,  small  parties  of  the  enemy  came  to 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  opened  a  straggling  fire,  which  did  no  execu 
tion.  @n  the  arrival  of  the  cavalry,  Lane  put  his  whole  force  in 
motion  ;  but  as  signs  of  confusion  appeared  among  the  Mexicans,  he 
hurried  on  the  cavalry  to  charge  the  enemy,  and  keep  them  engaged 
until  the  infantry  could  come  up.  As  the  Americans  approached, 
the  Mexicans  retired,  until  at  a  small  hill,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  their  first  position,  they  halted  and  fought  severely.  The  action 
was  continued  until,  by  a  forced  march,  the  American  infantry  ar 
rived,  when  they  again  fled,  pursued  by  the  cavalry.  Another 


603 


BATTLE    OF    ATLIXCO. 


running  fight  of  about  four  miles  took  place,  during  which  many  of 
the  fugitives  were  cut  down.  When  within  less  than  two  miles  of 
Atlixco,  the  enemy's  main  body  was  observed  posted  on  a  side  hill 
behind  rows  of  chaparral  hedges.  Without  stopping  to  ascertain 
their  numbers,  the  cavalry  dashed  among  them,  dealing  death  on  all 
sides,  and  forcing  them  within  the  thickest  part  of  their  shelter. 
Then  dismounting,  the  assailants  entered  the  chaparral,  hand  to  hand 
with  their  foe.  Here  the  struggle  was  long  and  terrible,  scores  of 
the  enemy  falling  beneath  the  heavy  blows  of  their  opponents.  This 
continued  until  the  arrival  of  the  infantry,  who  for  the  last  six  miles 
had  been  straining  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  join  the  cavalry,  not 
withstanding  the  previous  fatiguing  march  of  sixteen  miles.  The 
road  being  intersected  by  numerous  gullies,  prevented  the  artillery 
from  advancing  faster  than  at  a  walk ;  and  so  worn  out  were  the 

o 

cavalry,  both  through  exertion  and  the  heat  of  the  weather,  that  they 
could  pursue  the  enemy  no  farther.  The  column  continued,  how 
ever,  to  press  forward  towards  the  town,  but  night  had  already  set 
in,  when  it  reached  a  hill  overlooking  it.  But  the  moon  shone  with 
a  splendour  which  afforded  a  fine  view  of  all  the  surrounding  coun 
try,  and  enabled  the  American  general  to  continue  his  operations 
with  perfect  certainty. 

|S  the  Americans  approached  several  shots 
were  fired  upon  them  ;  and  deeming  it  im 
prudent  to  risk  a  street  fight  in  an  un 
known  town  at  night,  General  Lane  ordered 
the  artillery  to  be  posted  on  a  hill  over 
looking  the  town,  and  to  open  upon  it. 
This  was  speedily  put  in  execution,  so  that 
in  a  very  short  time  the  terrified  inhabit 
ants  beheld  flaming  balls  and  shells  hurled 
into  their  town,  with  a  precision  and  effect 
to  which  th^ir  own  system  of  warfare 
afforded  no  parallel.  Every  gun  was 
served  with  the  utmost  rapidity ;  and  amid 
the  stillness  of  a  Mexican  night  scene,  the 

discharges  of  artillery  pealed  for  miles  around,  while  at  intervals  the 
crashing  of  walls  and  roofs  afforded  a  strange  and  distressing  con 
trast.  This  bombardment  continued  for  nearly  an  hour,  with  great 
effect ;  the  gunners  being  enabled  by  the  moonlight  to  direct  their 
shot  to  the  most  populous  parts  of  the  town. 

The  firing  from  the  town  had  now  ceased,  and  wishing  to  obtain, 
if  possible,  its  surrender,  Lane  ordered  Major  Lally  and  Colonel 
Brough  to  advance  cautiously  with  their  commands  into  the  town. 


LANE  RETURNS  TO  PUEBLA. 


609 


On  their  entering,  the  general  was  met  by  the  ayuntamiento,  or  city 
council,  who  desired  that  their  town  might  be  spared.  Quiet  was 
accordingly  restored,  and  on  the  following  morning  Lane  disposed  of 
such  ammunition  as  could  be  found,  and  then  commenced  his  return 
to  Puebla. 

u  General  Rea,"  says  Lane,  "had  two  pieces  of  artillery;  but  as 
soon  as  he  was  aware  of  our  approach,  he  ordered  them  with  haste 
to  Matamoras,  a  small  town  eleven  leagues  beyond.  The  enemy 
state  their  own  loss  in  this  action  to  be  two  hundred  and  nineteen 
killed  and  three  hundred  wounded.  On  our  part,  we  had  one  man 
killed  and  one  wounded.  .  Scarcely  ever  has  a  more  rapid  forced 
march  been  made  than  this,  and  productive  of  better  results.  Atlixco 
has  been  the  head-quarters  of  guerrillas  in  this  section  of  the  country, 
and  of  late  the  seat  of  government  in  this  state.  From  hence  all 
expeditions  have  been  fitted  out  against  our  troops.  So  much  terror 
has  been  impressed  upon  them,  at  thus  having  war  brought  to  their 
own  homes,  that  I  am  inclined  to  believe  they  will  give  us  no  more 
trouble." 

Reaching  Cholula,  on  his  return,  General  Lane  found  that  the 
Mexicans  had  just  finished  two  pieces  of  artillery  at  Guexocingo. 
These  he  resolved  on  destroying;  and  proceeding  to  the  town  with 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  he  commenced  a  thorough  search.  The 
pieces  had  been  removed,  but  their  carriages  were  found  and  de 
stroyed.  A  party  of  the  enemy  were  observed  in  the  vicinity,  who 
retreated  p-  ecipitately ;  and  the  next  morning,  without  further  acci 
dent,  Lane  entered  Puebla. 


77 


A  Guerrilla. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


CAPTURE  OF  GUAYMAS,  AND  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  GUERRILLAS. 


T 


HE  important  events  attending  General 
Scott's  march  to  the  capital,  and  the  sub 
sequent  operations  before  Puebla,  were 
followed  by  several  battles  between  de 
tached  portions  of  the  American  army  and 
guerrillas. 

About  the  same  time,  that  the  battle  of 
Atlixco   was '  fought,   Captain  Lavallette 
[October    15-16]    entered   the    port    of 
Guaymas,  a  small  town  on  the  gulf  coast, 
with    part   of    the   American    squadron, 
consisting   of  the   frigate    Congress,    the 
sloop  of  war  Portsmouth,  and  the  brig  Argo.     On  the  18th,  the  latter 
(610) 


CAPTURE    OF    GUAYMAS. 


611 


Capture  of  Guaymas. 


vessel  anchored  between  the  islands  of  Almagre  Grande  and  Alma- 
gre  Chico,  on  each  of  which  a  mortar  was  planted.  The  other  ves 
sels  had  already  taken  their  stations.  A  flag  was  despatched  to  the 
authorities,  through  Mr.  William  Robinson,  who,  on  being  conducted 
to  the  governor,  explained  to  him  the  object  of  the  Americans,  and 
advised  a  surrender.  He  was  answered,  that  to  surrender  the  town 
would  be  entirely  incompatible  with  the  honour  both  of  the  governor 
and  Mexican  nation.  Mr.  Robinson  then  returned  to  the  Argo. 

On  the  19th,  the  Congress  and  Portsmouth  took  up  their  positions 
of  attack.  At  the  same  time,  the  place  was  formally  summoned  to 
surrender,  but  the  Mexicans  artfully  eluded  an  answer  until  night. 
Then,  favoured  by  the  darkness,  the  commandant  marched  silently  to 
a  position,  three  miles  distant,  where  he  had  previously  placed  a 
battery  of  fourteen  guns,  to  resist  the  Americans,  should  they  attempt 
to  penetrate  into  the  interior.  At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
20th,  the  fire  of  the  assailants  opened  from  both  vessels  of  war,  and 
two  mortars,  and  continued  for  more  than  an  hour.  Five  hundred 
shells  and  shot  were  thrown  into  the  town,  killing  one  English  resi 
dent,  and  destroying  several  houses.  Being  abandoned  by  their  gar 
rison,  the  citizens  signified  their  willingness  to  listen  to  terms,  when 
a  party  of  American  sailors  and  marines  landed  and  ran  up  the 
national  flag  on  a  fort  defending  the  Casa  Blanca  hill.  At  the  same 
time,  Lavallette  issued  a  proclamation,  claiming  the  town  and  port 
for  the  United  States,  ordering  the  surrender  of  all  public  property 
and  establishing  throughout  the  district  an  efficient  civil  and  military 
police.  The  Mexican  authorities  were  invited  to  centime  ia  office 


612 


ATTACK   ON    MATAMOKAS. 


religion  and  church  property  were  placed  under  the  American  pro 
tection,  and  the  customary  routine  of  business  was  ordered  to  be  re 
sumed.  Mr.  Robinson  was  made  collector  of  the  port. 

About  the  same  time  another  portion  of  the  squadron  captured  the 
port  of  Mazatlan,  also  on  the  gulf  coast. 

The  operations  of  General  Lane,  at  Atlixco  and  Huamantla,  were 
followed  by  a  successful  attack  upon  the  town  of  Matamoras,  which 
had  been  for  a  long  time  a  principal  rendezvous  for  guerrillas.  After 
a  slight  skirmish,  a  party  of  Mexican  lancers  were  defeated  with  loss, 
and  the  general  took  measures  to  hinder  his  being  in  future  disturbed 
by  them. 

In  the  month  of  November,  events  of  the  most  unhappy  kind  oc 
curred  at  Mexico,  tending  to  cast  a  shade  over  the  proud  enthusiasm 
of  the  officers,  who  had  so  heroically  followed  their  leader  to  the  con 
quest  of  the  famed  city  of  Montezuma.  By  an  article  in  the  mili 
tary  code,  "  private  letters  or  reports,  relative  to  military  marches 
and  operations"  being  "  frequently  mischievous  in  design,  and 


DIFFICULTIES   AMONG   THE    OFFICERS. 


613 


always  disgraceful  to  the  army"  are  strictly  forbidden  ;  "  and  any 
officer  found  guilty  of  making  such  report  for  publication,  without 
special  permission,  or  of  placing  the  writing  beyond  his  control,  so 
that  it  finds  its  way  to  the  press,  within  one  month  after  the  termina 
tion  of  the  campaign,  to  which  it  relates,  shall  be  dismissed  from  the 
service."*  Some  time  after  the  victories  of  August  19  and  20,  ex 
tracts  from  private  letters,  dated,  "  Tacubaya,  Mexico,  August  24, 
1847,"  purporting  to  be  an  original  account  of  the  battles  of  Contre- 
ras  and  Churubuseo,  appeared  in  the  Pittsburg  Post.  By  some  means 
this  account,  copied  in  a  Tampico  paper,  together  with  a  similar  one, 
from  a  New  Orleans  paper,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  general-in- 
chief,  who  immediately  issued  an  order,  denouncing  the  letters  as 
despicable  and  scandalous,  and  intimating  the  general's  surmisings 
of  their  authors.  On  the  following  day,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan 
addressed  a  card  to  one  of  the  leading  Mexican  papers,  avowing  his 
connection  with  the  Pittsburg  letter,  and  endeavouring  to  exculpate 
the  generals  suspected  by  the  commander,  from  all  blame.  He  and 
General  Worth  were  the  same  day  placed  under  arrest.  Subsequently 
General  Pillow  was  also  arrested  for  contempt  to  his  superior.  On 
receiving  news  of  this  transaction,  government  suspended  the  gene- 
ral-in-chief  himself,  on  specified  charges,  preferred  in  part  as  an  ap 
peal  by  General  Worth,  ordered  a  court-martial  to  try  him  with  the 
other  officers,  and  placed  the  army  under  command  of  Major-General 
Butler. 

ENERAL  TOWSON,  paymaster-general, 
was  appointed  president  of  the  court. 
The  other  members,  first  named  by  Presi 
dent  Polk,  were  Brigadier-General  Caleb 
Gushing,  and  Colonel  E.  G.  W.  Butler. 
Lieutenant  Hammond  was  named  as  chief 
advocate.  Subsequently  Colonel  Butler 
was  relieved,  and  brevet  Colonel  Belknap 
appointed  in  his  place.  In  like  manner, 
Captain  S.  C.  Ridgely  succeeded  Lieu 
tenant  Hammond,  as  judge  advocate  and 
recorder.  Perote  was  first  named  as  the  place  of  meeting,  but  this 
was  afterwards  changed  to  Puebla. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1848,  this  body  met  at  the  last  named 
city.  After  remaining  in  session  there  for  some  time,  it  was  re 
moved  to  Fredericktown,  Maryland.  All  the  officers  accused  were 
present,  and  the  deliberations  occupied  the  attention  of  the  court, 


*  General  Regulations  of  the  Army,  March  1,  1825. 

3F 


614 


PADRE    JARAUTA. 


General  Towson. 

until  after  the  close  of  the  war.  The  proceedings,  as  they  transpired, 
were  published  daily,  both  in  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  They 
excited  but  one  feeling  throughout  the  country — that  of  regret,  that 
the  gallant  men  who  had  carried  themselves  so  nobly  through  the 
trying  scenes  of  a  two  years'  war,  should,  at  its  close,  be  involved 
in  such  unfortunate  and  unsatisfactory  difficulties. 

After  the  fall  of  the  capital,  General  Twiggs  had  been  ordered  to 
Jalapa,  to  organize  a  train,  for  the  main  army,  and  keep  in  check  the 
neighbouring  guerrillas.  On  the  19th  of  November,  he  left  that 
city,  with  a  considerable  force -and  marched  for  Mexico.  About  the 
same  time  General  Butler  also  entered  the  capital  with  a  train,  and 
supplies. 

General  Patterson,  during  all  that  part  of  the  campaign  following 
Scott's  march  from  Puebla,  had  been  stationed  at  Vera  Cruz,  endea 
vouring  to  keep  open  the  communication  with  the  advancing  army,  as 
well  as  to  chastise  the  guerrillas  who  swarmed  in  that  vicinity.  These 
roaming  bands  were  organized  and  encouraged  by  the  famous  Padre 
Jarauta,  an  ecclesiastic,  who,  abandoning  his  sacerdotal  duties,  or  rathe 


PADRE    JARAUTA. 


615 


General  Patterson. 

combining  them  with  those  of  the  soldier,  had  thrown  the  whole  weight 
of  his  influence  against  the  friends  of  peace.  Troops  armed  and  fur 
nished  by  him  went  forth  as  to  a  crusade,  and  became  far  more  trouble 
some  to  the  Americans  than  Santa  Anna's  army.  The  padre's  followers 
were  as  daring  in  their  efforts  to  cut  off  the  American  trains,  as  they 
were  unscrupulous  in  the  use  of  what  victory  threw  into  their  hands. 
Frequently  they  approached  within  pistol-shot  of  their  opponent's 
camp,  and  on  several  occasions,  as  has  been  mentioned  in  a  previous 
chapter,  actually  entered  at  night  into  Vera  Cruz,  and  carried  away 
mules  or  horses.  During  the  operations  before  the  capital,  they  com 
mitted  frightful  depredations  between  that  city  and  Vera  Cruz,  and 
cut  off  all  communication  between  these  two  portions  of  the  army. 
The  mails  were  frequently  stopped  and  plundered  by  them,  and  such 
delay  caused  to  those  which  escaped,  that  frequently  more  than  a 
month  transpired  after  the  usual  time  of  delivery.  From  this  cause 
General  Scott's  reports  of  the  battles  of  August,  did  not  reach  Wash 
ington  until  the  middle  of  November.  .To  the  partial  success  of  the 
guerrillas  may  be  attributed  the  obstinacy  of  the  Mexicans  in  refusing 
to  listen  to  terms  of  peace. 


616 


CAPTURE  OF  GENERAL  VALENCIA. 


ENERAL  PATTERSON,  in  the  fall 
of  1847,  left  Vera  Cruz  with  his 
division  and  a  large  train,  and  ad 
vanced  by  easy  marches  to  Jalapa. 
The  command  of  the  former  place 
was  intrusted  to  Colonel  Wilson.  On 
the  25th  of  November,  Patterson  left 
Jalapa  with  six  thousand  men,  en 
route  for  the  capital.  Before  his  de 
parture  [November  23d]  he  had 
hung  two  American  teamsters  for  the 
murder  of  a  Mexican  boy,  and  on 
the  following  day  shot  two  Mexican 

officers,  Garcia  and  Alcade,  for  violation  of  parole.  This  pro 
ceeding  caused  so  much  excitement  among  the  people  that  an 
open  insurrection  seemed  for  awhile  inevitable ;  and  the  neighbour 
ing  guerrilla  bands  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  revenge  their 
countrymen.  After  suppressing  these  demonstrations  of  revolt,  Pat 
terson  recommenced  his  journey,  and  reached  the  city  of  Mexico 
December  6. 

About  the  middle  of  December,  a  body  of  Americans  were  attacked 
near  Mazatlan,  by  some  guerrillas,  led  by  an  officer  named  Mijares. 
He  was  killed,  and  his  men  repulsed  with  considerable  loss.  A 
similar  engagement,  farther  to  the  north,  also  resulted  in  victory  to 
the  American  arms.  On  the  night  of  the  21st,  an  expedition  was 
sent  to  Cholula,  to  apprehend  some  American  officers.  A  fight  took 
place,  in  which  three  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and  three  wounded. 

Early  in  January,  the  Mexican  general,.  Valencia,  was  captured  by 
a  small  party  especially  organized  for  the  purpose.  The  particulars 
are  given  by  a  member  of  the  army.  "  Colonel  F.  M.  Wynkoop,  of 
the  1st  Pennsylvania  volunteers,  having  learned  by  a  Mexican  friend, 
that  Padre  Jarauta  and  General  Rea  were  at  Tlalnepanatla,  about  five 
leagues  from  the  city  of  Mexico,  applied  to  General  Scott  for  permis 
sion  to  take  twenty  men  and  capture  them.  Permission  being  granted, 
the  colonel  set  off  on  the  1st  [January,]  with  thirty-eight  Texan 
rangers,  under  command  of  Lieutenants  Daggerts,  Burkes,  and  Jones. 
Upon  arriving  at,  and  charging  Tlalnepanatla,  and  finding  no  one 
there,  they  learned  that  Rea  and  Jarauta  had  left  for  Toluco,  a  few 
hours  previous  to  our  arrival.  Colonel  Wynkoop  here  learned  that 
General  Valencia  and  his  staff  were  at  a  hacienda  some  six  leagues 
distant.  He  immediately  set  off  with  his  party,  and  arrived  at  the 
hacienda,  which  he  surrounded.  Admittance  into  the  house  was  de 
manded  by  the  party,  but  for  a  time  refused,  when  Colonel  Siba,  a 


CAPTURE    OF    MEXICAN   OFFICERS. 


617 


•wounded  Mexican  officer  on  parole,  opened  the  door  and  assured 
Colonel  Wynkoop  that  General  Valencia  had  departed  that  day  for 
Toluco ;  but  this  not  being  credited,  lights  were  demanded  to  search 
the  building.  Colonel  Siba  then  proposed  to  deliver  General  Va 
lencia  the  next  day,  if  the  party  would  leave.  To  this  the  colonel 
would  not  assent,  but  proposed  to  send  an  officer  and  eight  men  with 
him  to  await  their  return.  This  proposition  completely  disconcerted 
Colonel  Siba,  thus  convincing  Colonel  Wynkoop  that  Valencia  was 
really  in  the  house.  Search  was  accordingly  made,  but  he  could  not 
be  found.  The  colonel  then  declared  that  he  would  not  leave  the 
hacienda  without  him ;  that  if  Valencia  would  give  himself  up,  he 
would  be  perfectly  safe,  but  that  he  could  not  answer  for  his  life 
should  he  attempt  an  escape.  At  this  moment  a  person  stepped  up 
and  said,  <I  am  Valencia.'  He  then  said  that  it  was  against  the 
usages  of  civilized  warfare  to  attack  a  man  in  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
his  family  in  the  dead  hour  of  night.  The  colonel  answered  that  it 
was  the  only  way  he  could  be  captured.  Colonel  Arrera  was  also 
captured  in  the  same  hacienda  on  that  night." 

About  a  week  after,  another  capture  of  officers  took  place,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Santa  Fe.  About  fifty  guerrillas,  under  Colonel  Ze- 
nobia,  were  charged  and  dispersed  by  Colonel  Dominguez,  after  which 
the  latter  proceeded  to  the  plains  of  Salva,  where  he  received  a  com 
munication  from  the  neighbouring  haciendas,  requesting  his  assistance 
in  liberating  the  inhabitants  from  the  tyranny  of  General  Torrejon. 
On  the  6th,  Dominguez  charged  the  Mexican  party,  and  after  a  short 
skirmish  dispersed  it,  capturing  Generals  Torrejon,  Minon,  Guana, 
fifty  cavalry,  and  two  deserters.  The  Mexican  general  had  with  him 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  being  on  his  way  to  join  some  forces  at 
San  Andres,  and  proceed  thence  to  Orizaba.  The  American  force 
was  seventy. 

HESE  losses  only  tended  to  render  the 
guerrillas  more  daring  and  revengeful. 
About  the  1st  of  January,  a  large  train, 
composed  of  many  wagons,  and  carry 
ing  a  great  amount  of  specie,  set  out 
for  the  interior,  under  the  direction  of 
Colonel  Miles.  The  rear  portion  of 
the  train  was  unable  to  leave  until  the 
morning  of  the  4th.  In  moving  over 
the  heavy  sand,  the  train  and  pack 
mules  became  so  .scattered,  that  a 

company  of  mounted   riflemen,   under   Lieutenant   Walker,   were 
thrown  seven  miles  behind  the  main  body  of  the  wagon  train.     At 
3r2  78 


O 


618       BATTLE  WITH  THE  GUERRILLAS. 

nine  o'clock,  word  was  received  that  a  guerrilla  party  at  Santa  Fe, 
had  captured  some  of  the  packs  scattered  along  the  road.  At  this 
information,  Lieutenant  Walker  left  ten  men  with  some  wagons  which 
had  not  been  able  to  keep  up,  and  moving  towards  Santa  Fe,  came 
in  sight  of  the  enemy,  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle.  A  charge  was 
ordered,  when  the  guerrillas  scattered  in  different  directions,  and 
opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  lieutenant's  little  company.  All  com 
munication  with  the  main  party  was  thus  cut  off,  and  Walker  sent 
back  to  Vera  Cruz  for  assistance.  The  enemy's  fire  so  frightened 
the  horses  of  the  rifle  company,  that  they  were  obliged  to  dismount 
and  fight  on  the  open  prairie.  Five  of  his  men  were  killed  and  five 
wounded.  The  Mexicans  captured  three  hundred  pack  mules,  and 
about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  specie. 

the  12th  of  January,  Colonel 
Hays,  with  one  hundred  rangers 
and  a  few  Illinois  volunteers, 
reached  Teotihuacan,  twelve  leagues 
north-east  of  Mexico,  in  pursuit  of 
Jarauta.  Here,  while  the  party  were 
reposing  at  a  hacienda,  with  their 
horses  unbridled  and  unsaddled,  the 
padre  came  suddenly  upon  them  with 
a  party  of  guerrillas.  With  wonted 
presence  of  mind,  the  colonel  in 
stantly  rallied  his  men,  when  a  most 
severe  battle  took  place,  the  rangers  being  on  foot.  Unfortunately 
for  the  assailants,  their  shot  were  fired  too  high,  and  consequently 
produced  no  effect.  Eight  of  their  number  were  killed.  The  padre 
himself  is  said  to  have  been  severely  wounded,  and  one  of  his  men 
made  prisoner. 

About  this  time  the  towns  of  Serma,  Toluco,  and  Pachuca,  were 
occupied  by  different  portions  of  the  American  army,  principally  from 
the  command  of  General  Cadwalader.  Orizaba  was  also  taken  by  a 
detachment  of  five  hundred  cavalry  under  General  Lane. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  a  train  of  two  thousand  wagons,  escorted 
by  a  squadron  of  cavalry,  two  companies  of  dragoons,  a  voltigeur 
corps  with  six  pieces,  and  some  battalions  of  infantry — the  whole 
under  Major  Cadwalader,  of  the  voltigeurs — left  the  city  of  Mexico 
on  the  14th,  en  route  for  Vera  Cruz.  Great  efforts  were  made  by  the 
guerrillas  to  cut  off  portions  of  this  train,  but  without  success.  It 
arrived  safely  on  the  coast,  January  27th,  bringing  with  it  a  number 
of  officers. 

In  the  same  month,  Colonel  Childs  intercepted  certain  letters  of  a 


CONSPIRACY    AT   P  U  E  B  L  A. 


619 


Colonel  Bankhead. 


treasonous  nature  at  Puebla.  A  conspiracy  had  been  formed  there 
by  General  Rea,  and  some  of  his  associates,  to  assassinate  Don  Ra 
phael  Isunza,  the  Mexican  governor  of  state,  and  murder  such  of  the 
inhabitants  as  were  in  favour  of  peace  with  the  United  States.  The 
object  of  this  movement  was  to  abolish  the  existing  government,  and 
proclaim  Rea  dictator.  Colonel  Childs  immediately  took  efficient 
measures  to  prevent  the  execution  of  this  diabolical  plot,  and  issued  a 
proclamation  ordering  all  spies  to  leave  the  city,  and  rendering  it 
penal  for  any  of  the  inhabitants  to  hold  communication  with  the 
guerrillas.  No  attempt  was  made  to  carry  the  plan  into  execution. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  two  large  trains  left  Vera  Cruz,  one  for 
Orizaba,  and  the  other  for  the  city  of  Mexico.  The  first  was  escorted 
by  sixteen  hundred  men,  under  Colonel  Bankhead,  who,  since  the 
16th  of  December,  had  been  civil  and  military  governor  of  Vera 
Cruz.  Both  trains  arrived  safely  at  their  destination,  although  keenly 
watched  by  the  guerrillas.  A  short  time  previous  to  this,  [December 
12,  1847,]  General  Scott  had  issued  an  order  against  the  guerrillas 
by  which  every  American  post  established  in  Mexico  was  authorized 
to  push  daily  detachments  as  far  as  practicable  upon  the  roads,  in 
order  to  protect  them  from  the  marauding  parties.  "No  quarters," 
says  the  order,  "  will  be  given  to  known  murderers  or  robbers, 


620 


ORDER    AGAINST   THE    GUERRILLAS. 


whether  called  guerrillas  or  rancheros,  and  whether  serving  under 
Mexican  commissions  or  not.  They  are  equally  pests  to  unguarded 
Mexicans,  foreigners,  and  small  parties  of  Americans,  and  ought  to 
be  exterminated.  Offenders  of  the  above  character,  accidentally  fall 
ing  into  the  hands  of  the  American  troops,  will  be  momentarily  held 
as  prisoners,  that  is,  not  put  to  death  without  due  solemnity.  Ac 
cordingly,  they  will  be  reported  to  commanding  officers,  who  will, 
without  delay,  order  a  council  of  war  for  the  summary  trial  of  the 
offenders,  under  the  known  laws  of  war  applicable  to  such  cases. 

"  A  council  of  war  may  consist  of  any  number  of  officers  not  less 
than  three  nor  more  than  thirteen,  and  may,  for  any  flagrant  viola 
tion  of  the  laws  of  war,  condemn  to  death,  or  to  lashes,  not  exceed 
ing  fifty,  on  satisfactory  proof  that  such  prisoner,  at  the  time  of 
capture,  actually  belonged  to  any  party  or  gang  of  known  robbers  01 
murderers,  or  had  actually  committed  murder  or  robbery  upon  any 
American  officer  or  soldier,  or  follower  of  the  American  army." 

This  order  called  forth  active  operations  from  the  different  por 
tions  of  General  Scott's  army,  and  several  guerrilla  parties  were  en 
tirely  broken  up,  or  driven  from  the  neighbourhood.  Yet  such  was 
the  recklessness  of  these  marauding  bands,  that  the  roads  continued 
to  be  infested,  and  travellers  or  stragglers  from  the  American  army 
to  be  murdered.  Arrests  were  made,  and  the  prisoners  executed, 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


OPERATIONS    IN    CALIFORNIA    AND    NEW   MEXICO. 


HE  apparent  tranquillity 
which  followed  the  esta 
blishment  of  American  au 
thority  in  California  and 
New  Mexico,  was  never 
very  profound,  nor  of  long 
duration.  However  advantageous  a 
change  of  government  may  be  to  any 
people,  they  are  apt  to  regard  it,  if  for 
cibly  imposed  by  an  invading  army,  with 
a  jealous  eye,  and  to  take  every  means 
to  effect  a  counter  revolution.  This 
has  received  the  most  ample  confirmation  during  the  Mexican  war, 
wherein  the  Mexicans  have  been  protected  in  life,  religion,  and  pro 
perty,  and  yet  look  upon  their  protectors  as  robbers  of  the  most 
aggravated  character.  Although  California  has  never  professed  any 

(621) 


622  OPERATIONS   IN    CALIFORNIA. 

other  than  a  nominal  allegiance  to  the  Mexican  government,  and  fre 
quently  has  declared  against  her,  yet  is  this  feeling  against  the  Ame 
ricans  as  strong  there  as  in  the  central  provinces;  and  from  the 
moment  of  Fremont's  entrance  into  the  territory,  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  this  region  was  held  only  by  the  strict  hand  of  military  power. 
In  July,  1847,  three  companies  of  the  7th  regiment  of  New  York 
volunteers  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burton,  arrived  in  the  vicinity 
of  La  Paz,  Lower  California.  They  numbered  about  one  hundred 
men,  with  two  pieces  of  artillery.  Towards  the  close  of  September, 
the  sloop  of  war  Dale  sailed  from  La  Paz  to  Mulege,  a  port  near  the 
head  of  the  Californian  gulf,  where  a  party  of  Mexicans,  with  arms 
>and  ammunition,  were  reported  to  be  collected  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  a  revolution.  On  entering,  the  Dale  hoisted  her  colours,  and 
sent  a  flag  on  shore,  requesting  the  surrender  of  the  town.  The 
Mexican  authorities  answered,  that  acting  as  they  did  under  advice 
from  government,  they  could  not  listen  to  the  demand,  and  that  if 
the  sloop  approached  within  gun  range,  she  would  be  fired  upon. 
On  receiving  this  reply,  the  Dale  entered  the  port,  but  was  not  fired 
upon.  Next  day  eighty  men  were  sent  on  shore,  who  were  fired 
upon  while  landing,  but  afterwards  chased  a  party  of  Mexicans  for 
two  or  three  miles  ;  night  coming  on,  they  were  withdrawn.  At  the 
same  time,  a  few  shells  were  thrown  into  the  town,  and  a  schooner 
burnt.  On  the  following  morning,  the  Dale  left  for  La  Paz,  bringing 
the  information  that  two  hundred  Mexicans  were  marching  towards 
that  place,  and  might  be  expected  in  a  few  days.  This  report,  how 
ever,  proved  incorrect. 

N  the  latter  part  of  October,  Commodore 
Shubrick  arrived  at  San  Jose,  and 
ordered  the  Dale  to  Guaymas,  to  re 
lieve  the  Portsmouth.  This  deprived 
Colonel  Burton  of  all  naval  assistance, 
and  entirely  cut  off  his  retreat,  in  case 
of  necessity.  Unwilling  to  remain  in 
this  situation,  the  colonel  proceeded  to 
San  Jose,  in  order  to  obtain  from  the 
commodore  two  hundred  men  with  which  he  hoped  to  quiet  the 
country.  His  request  was  refused,  and  the  commodore  sailed  for 
Mazatlan. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemy  were  using  the  most  strenuous  efforts  to 
raise  a  force  sufficient  to  rid  themselves  of  the  American  troops. 
Leaving  Mulege,  they  passed  through  the  country,  robbing  ranchos, 
and  committing  the  greatest  depredations  upon  the  property  even  of 
their  own  citizens.  Several  of  these  marauding  bands,  after  securing 


BATTLE    OF   LA   PAZ. 


623 


all  the  arms,  provisions,  money,  and  stores  they  could  possibly  raise, 
concentrated  at  San  Antonio,  formed  a  territorial  junta  or  congress, 
and  issued  proclamations  to  the  inhabitants.  These  movements  had 
the  effect  of  bringing  out  the  whole  region  against  the  little  garrison 
at  La  Paz.  Those  who  had  hitherto  taken  no  active  part  in  military 
operations,  now  engaged  in  the  campaign  with  the  zeal  of  crusaders. 
Between  one  and  two  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  November  16th, 
Burton's  men  were  wakened  by  a  loud  roll  of  musketry,  followed  by 
shouts  from  an  unseen  enemy.  Thus  suddenly  roused,  each  man 
sought  his  post  amid  a  shower  of  balls.  The  night  was  so  excessively 
dark,  that  they  gained  knowledge  of  the  enemy's  position  only  by 
the  flash  from  their  guns,  and  the  Mexicans^  battle  cry.  The  enemy's 
balls  continued  to  whistle  among  the  garrison,  until  the  Americans 
brought  their  cannon  within  range,  when  a  few  volleys  were  followed 
by  a  dead  silence.  Expecting,  momentarily,  a  renewal  of  the  attack, 
the  troops  remained  in  position  until  daylight,  when  they  discovered 
that  the  enemy,  about  three  hundred  in  number,  had  entered  the 
town  and  posted  themselves  on  a  hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  dis 
tant.  Here  they  were  awaiting  the  removal  of  the  women  and  chil 
dren,  in  order  to  begin  the  main  attack. 

BOUT  nine  o'clock  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  16th,  a  heavy  firing 
commenced  from  some  thick  cac 
tus-bushes,  which  almost  sur 
rounded  the  camp.  Among  these 
the  Mexicans  were  concealed  so 
carefully,  that  their  presence  was 
known  only  through  the  flashes 
of  musketry.  During  the  whole 
morning  the  Americans  had  la 
boured  to  fortify  their  position, 
covering  the  roofs  of  houses  with 
bales  of  cotton  yarn.  As  the 

Mexicans  were  several  hundred  yards  off,  the  garrison  lay  down,  in 
order  to  entice  them  nearer ;  but,  being  posted  with  perfect  security 
in  an  old  building  near  a  grave  yard,  the  enemy  would  not  approach, 
and  thus  an  idle  fire  was  maintained  until  noon.  The  Americans 
had  one  man  killed. 

At  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  enemy  concentrated  their  forces,  en 
tered  the  town,  and  set  fire  to  a  number  of  houses  belonging  to  those 
who  had  favoured  the  Americans.  In  returning  from  this  barbarous 
proceeding,  they  passed  a  low  hill  in  front  of  the  American  barracks, 
which  immediately  opened  upon  them.  A  shower  of  grape  and 


624  BATTLE    OF   LA   PAZ. 

canister,  sweeping  through  their  ranks,  killed  ten  or  twelve,  ami 
caused  so  much  confusion  as  to  drive  back  the  survivors  from  the 
streets.  As  the  sun  went  down  the  firing  ceased,  leaving  only  the 
lurid  glare  of  burning  buildings  as  the  finale  of  this  busy  and  ex 
citing  day. 

In  this  first  day's  skirmish,  the  American  force  was  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six,  the  Mexicans  at  least  three  hundred.  One  company 
of  the  former,  consisting  of  sixty  men,  was  placed  on  the  roof  of  the 
main  building,  under  Captain  S.  G.  Steele  and  Lieutenant  Penrose. 
The  other  company  was  in  the  barracks  oft  the  opposite  side  of  the 
square,  and  on  the  roof,  under  command  of  Lieutenants  Matsell  and 
Buffum.  The  volunteers  were  partly  under  Lieutenant  Young,  and 
partly  with  the  artillery  of  Lieutenant  Lemon. 

N  the  morning  following,  a  large  party  of  the 
enemy  were  observed  on  a  hill  two  miles  dis 
tant,  where  they  had  hoisted  a  flag.  Among 
them  were  about  sixty  Yake  Indians  from  Sonora. 
The  whole  command  was  mounted  on  spirited 
horses,  and  armed  with  muskets  and  rifles.  The 
commander  was  Manuel  Pineda,  a  lieutenant  in 
the  Mexican  army,  with  whom  were  associated  a 
number  of  leaders  from  the  eastern  coast,  and  two  or  three  from  Cali 
fornia.  After  daylight  a  few  shots  were  fired  at  the  Americans,  but 
without  effect.  The  latter  improved  the  temporary  cessation  by 
digging  an  intrenchment  around  the  square,  burning  a  number  of 
small  houses  which  obstructed  their  cannon-range,  and  strengthening 
as  much  as  possible  their  lines  of  defence.  In  this  position  the  par 
ties  remained  for  several  days,  each  waiting  an  attack  from  the  other. 
On  the  20th  a  proclamation,  signed  by  Pineda,  was  found  posted 
at  different  places  in  the  town,  promising  to  treat  all  Americans  with 
lenity,  and  stating  the  determination  of  the  Mexicans  to  conquei 
Burton's  party.  The  latter  redoubled  their  vigilance,  threw  up  a 
breastwork  around  the  main  buildings,  and  a  barricade  around  the 
cannon,  fortified  all  the  roofs,  and  were  constantly  at  their  posts. 

At  noon  of  the  same  day,  a  party  of  footmen  were  observed  drag 
ging  a  piece  of  artillery  through  the  surrounding  thickets,  towards  a 
building  known  as  the  Old  Quartel,  which,  although  the  most  promi 
nent  position  of  the  town,  the  Americans  had  failed  to  occupy,  on 
account  of  its  dilapidated  condition.  This  position  reached,  a  fire 
commenced  simultaneously  from  all  sides.  The  showers  of  slugs  and 
shot  from  this  gun  were  answered  by  grape  from  the  American  can 
non,  and  for  a  little  while  the  action  was  warmly  contested.  A  heavy 
shell,  exploding  among  the  Mexicans,  drove  them  from  their  posi- 


BATTLE    OF, SAN   JOSE.  625 

tion,  and  silenced  their  piece ;  but  they  continued  a  heavy  fire  of 
musketry  from  the  Quartel,  and  other  places.  During  the  whole 
time  the  monotonous  tapping  of  a  drum  was  heard,  evidently  with 
the  design  of  exciting  the  assailants  to  valour.  The  battle  continued 
until  night,  the  darkness  of  which  enabled  the  enemy  to  creep  quite 
near  to  the  works,  and  shelter  themselves  behind  some  adjacent 
banks.  The  battle  continued,  at  intervals  the  garrison  discharging 
musketry  and  cannon-shot,  and  receiving  showers  of  rifle  balls  and 
Indian  arrows.  At  eight  o'clock  the  assailants  withdrew,  with  the 

loss  of  six  men.  ftenCTOft  LJbftHj 

Next  morning  ten  men  entered  the  Quartel,  hoisted  the  Mexican 
flag,  and  commenced  firing.  When  this  had  continued  more  than 
an  hour,  Captain  Stell,  with  twenty  men,  was  sent  against  them. 
He  surprised  the  party,  killing  six  and  taking  their  flag,  which  was 
immediately  inverted  under  that  of  the  garrison.  This  check  caused 
their  whole  force  to  retire ;  but  they  spread  themselves  in  the  neigh 
bourhood,  to  await  reinforcements  and  cut  off  supplies  from  the 
American  camp. 

?HILE  this  battle  was  going 
on  at  La  Paz,  a  party  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty 
Mexicans,  under  Antonio 
Mejares,  approached  San 
Jose,  where  Lieutenant  Heywood,  of 
the  United  States  marines,  was  sta 
tioned,  with  twenty  men  and  a  nine- 
pounder.  On  the  20th  of  November, 
they  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce,  with  a  de 
mand  to  surrender,  which  was  refused. 
The  Mexican  flag  was  then  run  up,  and  ten  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the 
attack  upon  the  American  position  commenced.  After  the  firing  had 
continued  all  night  and  the  following  day,  a  grand  assault  was  made 
on  the  ensuing  night.  At  eleven  o'clock,  a  party  of  forty  men,  under 
Mejares,  charged  in  front,  while  a  hundred,  with  scaling-ladders, 
were  placed  in  the  rear.  When  they  had  arrived  in  front  of  the  nine- 
pounder,  it  suddenly  opened  upon  them,  killing  their  intrepid  leader, 
with  three  of  his  men,  and  driving  back  the  others  in  confusion.  A 
similar  discharge  against  those  in  the  rear,  was  attended  with  simi 
lar  results.  A  firing  of  musketry  was,  however,  kept  up  until  morn 
ing.  On  the  following  day  two  American  whalers  entered  the  har 
bour,  and  sent  fifty  men  on  shore.  These  vessels  were  mistaken  by 
the  enemy  for  ships  of  war,  on  which  they  retreated  in  haste  to 
La  Paz. 

3G  79 


626          DISCONTENT   OF    THE    CALIFORNIANS. 

Previous  to  this  battle,  various  alterations  in  command  had  taken 
place  in  Upper  California,  New  Mexico,  and  along  the  Pacific  coast. 
A  battalion  of  Mormons  having  reached  the  plains  of  California, 
united  their  efforts  with  those  of  the  regular  army  in  restoring  order 
in  the  affairs  of  government.  Previous  to  sailing  for  the  United 
States,  Commodore  Stockton  had  declared  the  whole  country  to  be 
tranquil,  and  the  inhabitants  pleased  with  the  change  of  government. 
Allured  by  these  representations,  and  the  temptations  held  out  by 
government,  numbers  of  emigrants  left  the  United  States,  and  set  out 
to  find  a  new  home  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  hopes  of 
these  adventurers  seem,  in  many  cases,  to  have  been  disappointed. 
Several  of  their  parties,  while  crossing  the  mountains,  were  overtaken 
by  snow  storms,  during  which  many  perished.  So  great  was  the 
scarcity  of  provisions,  that  whole  parties  were  reduced  to  a  few 
meagre,  famished  wretches,  whose  only  food  was  the  horrid  repast 
afforded  by  the  bodies  of  their  dead  companions.  On  arriving  in  the 
country,  they  in  some  places  found  the  soil  of  surprising  fertility ;  but, 
in  other  instances,  large  companies  found  themselves  on  desert  tracts, 
trodden,  from  time  immemorial,  only  by  the  Indian  and  his  savage 
companions  of  the  brute  creation. 

Neither  had  the  condition  of  affairs  continued  such  as  had  been 
represented  by  the  commodore,  in  his  report  to  government.  As  has 
been  remarked  in  the  opening  of  the  present  chapter,  the  Mexicans, 
throughout  all  their  provinces,  looked  upon  the  Americans  more  in 
the  light  of  invaders  than  friends;  and  consequently,  although  they 
felt  in  some  measure  the  superiority  of  the  government  established  by 
General  Kearny,  yet  they  permitted  no  opportunity  to  escape  which 
appeared  favourable  for  shaking  off  the  imposed  yoke. 

IS  involved  the  whole  country  in  a  series 
of  civil  broils,  the  more  vexatious  from 
their  being  apparently  endless.  The  truth 
is  that  in  California  and  New  Mexico,  as 
in  other  parts  of  the  republic,  the  Ameri 
cans  could  positively  claim  only  so  much 
of  the  soil  as  they  occupied  with  their 
army;  and  even  that  was  lost  as  soon 
as  deserted  by  a  competent  defensive 
force. 

After  Stockton's  departure,  Commodore  Shubrick,  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  squadron  operating  upon  that  portion  of  the  coast 
which  borders  on  California.  This  officer  imposed  upon  several  of 
the  neighbouring  towns  a  tariff  of  duties,  and  adopted  such  measures 
as  was  in  his  power,  for  the  security  of  the  adjoining  provinces. 


COMMODORE    BIDDLE's    OPERATIONS.  627 

Early  in  1847,  Commodore  Biddletook  charge  of  the  entire  squadron. 
One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  annul  a  former  act  of  Commodore  Stock 
ton,  placing  the  Pacific  coast  under  blockade.  The  repeal  of  this 
onerous  measure  was  equally  gratifying  to  the  American  residents 
and  the  crews  of  foreign  nations.  The  ports  of  Guaymas  and  Ma- 
zatlan  were,  however,  placed  under  control  of  the  squadron,  the 
ships  of  which  maintained  an  ascendency  in  the  neighbourhood  until 
the  capture  of  these  towns,  as  formerly  related. 

Meanwhile  General  Price  had  been  placed  in  New  Mexico,  with  a 
considerable  force,  and  used  great  efforts  to  restore  tranquillity  in  the 
province.  Late  in  January,  1848,  he  ordered  three  companies  of 
United  States  dragoons,  nine  of  horse,  five  of  infantry,  and  one  com 
pany  of  light  artillery,  to  concentrate  at  El  Paso,  preparatory  to  a 
march  upon  Chihuahua.  On  the  23d  of  February,  the  general  ar 
rived  there  in  person,  with  one  company  of  Missouri  horse.  Here 
he  immediately  commenced  active  preparations  for  the  intended 
expedition.  While  thus  engaged,  he  received  such  information  as 
Confirmed  previous  reports,  respecting  the  enemy's  hostility,  and  of 
their  fabricating  cannon  and  other  implements  to  resist  the  march  to 
El  Paso.  The  Mexican  residents  in  this  quarter  were  in  a  state  of 


*  The  real  condition  of  these  distant  provinces  during  the  war,  seems  never  to  have 
been  understood  by  either  the  people  or  government  of  our  country.  Although  New 
Mexico  was  in  almost  open  hostility  to  the  central  government,  yet  the  feeling  against 
the  Americans  was  as  strong  there  as  in  the  more  southern  provinces.  The  favourable 
disposition,  over  which  the  first  conquerors  were  accustomed  to  congratulate  them 
selves,  was  never  any  thing  but  the  deceitful  lull  which  is  quiet  only  because  it  thereby 
husbands  the  power  of  the  approaching  hurricane.  Commodore  Stockton  and  Colonel 
Fremont  certainly  deserve  great  credit  for  the  brilliant  style  in  which  they  accomplished 
the  conquest  of  California ;  but  the  means  at  their  disposal  were  totally  inadequate  to 
secure  permanently  the  conquests  which  they  had  made.  Considering  the  small  force 
of  the  Americans  in  California  and  their  distance  from  any  support  or  supplies,  it  must 
always  be  a  subject  of  astonishment  and  admiration  that  they  were  ever  able  to  gain  any 
foothold  in  the  country ;  and  still  more  remarkable  is  it  that,  in  opposition  to  the  con 
cealed  but  bitter  hostility  of  the  people,  they  should  have  been  able  to  hold  possession 
of  the  country  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

One  of  the  most  determined  as  well  as  important  demonstrations  of  hostility  evinced 
by  the  people  of  this  region  was  their  opposition  to  General  Price's  expedition.  The 
country  through  which  he  passed  had  already  been  conquered  by  Commodore  Stockton 
and  General  Kearny,  and  portions  of  it  reconquered  by  Fremont.  In  many  of  the 
towns,  local  governments  had  been  established,  and  the  oath  of  allegiance  administered 
to  the  inhabitants.  But  these  conquests  were  but  the  effects  of  the  presence  of  a 
large  military  force,  having  in  them  nothing  of  the  will  or  the  affections.  Secret  con 
spiracies  against  the  Americans  were  continually  carried  on ;  and  as  the  garrisons  of  the 
conquered  towns  grew  weaker,  the  conspirators  threw  off  by  degrees  their  reserve,  and 
banded  in  open  opposition  to  our  forces.  It  will  cease  then  to  excite  our  wonder  that 
notwithstanding  the  efficient  army  of  General  Price,  he  found  himself  at  every  town 
surrounded  with  armed  foes  with  whom  several  battles  had  to  be  fought  before  he  could 
be  considered  even  in  safety. 


628  OPERATIONS   IN   NEW   MEXICO. 

revolt  against  American  authority ;  and  the  general  soon  found  that 
he  was  likely  to  be  opposed  at  every  step  of  his  progress. 

NDER  these  circumstances,  the  American  com 
mander  resolved  on  changing  his  original  plan 
of  operations,  and  by  forced  marches  with  his 
best  troops,  to  strike  a  blow  upon  the  enemy 
before  he  could  adopt  measures  of  defence. 
Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  24th,  he  de 
spatched  Major  Walker,  with  three  companies 
of  the  Santa  Fe  battalion  of  horse,  to  occupy 
the  small  town  of  Carrizal,  distant  ninety  miles  from  El  Paso,  and  so 
situated  as  to  command  all  the  passes  leading  to  Chihuahua.  This 
command  had  orders  to  reconnoiter  the  country,  cut  off  all  com 
munication  by  establishing  strong  pickets,  and  make  every  effort  to 
obtain  information  .especting  the  designs  and  movements  of  th^ 
enemy. 

On  the  night  of  March  6th,  when  within  sixty  miles  of  Chihuahu?, 
a  small  party  of  the  advance  came  upon  one  of  the  enemy's  pickets1^ 
but  was  unable  to  capture  it.  Aware  that  his  march  would  be  known 
on  the  following  morning,  the  general  pushed  forward  his  command 
with  all  haste,  until  he  arrived  at  Laguna,  six  miles  from  the  Sacra 
mento.  Here  he  was  met  by  a  flag  of  truce,  from  the  general  command 
ing  the  Mexican  forces,  who  protested  against  the  advance  upon  Chi 
huahua,  on  the  ground  that  instructions  had  been  received  from  the 
Mexican  government,  suspending  hostilities,  as  a  treaty  of  peace  had 
been  concluded  and  signed  by  commissioners  on  behalf  of  both  govern 
ments.  Although  this  assertion  afterwards  proved  to  be  correct, 
Price  did  not  consider  the  evidence  adduced  as  conclusive,  and 
would  not  receive  the  protest.  The  bearer  of  the  flag  then  requested 
that  two  American  officers  might  accompany  him  to  his  superiors,  in 
order  to  arrange  terms  of  capitulation.  To  this  the  general  con 
sented,  naming  Captain  McKissick  and  Lieutenant  Prince  as  the  two 
negotiators. 

Fearful,  however,  of  treachery  on  the  enemy's  part,  he,  that  night, 
moved  his  command  rapidly  upon  Chihuahua.  After  about  an  hour's 
march,  he  was  met  by  some  American  residents  of  the  city,  \vho 
informed  him  that  on  the  morning  previous,  the  Mexican  army  had 
hastily  retreated,  taking  with  them  all  their  munitions  of  war. 

General  Price  had  anticipated  this  event,  and  prepared  for  it.  On 
the  day  before,  Beall's  dragoons  were  detached,  so  that  by  a  forced 
march  over  the  mountains,  they  might  occupy  the  Durango  road, 
and  possibly  encounter  the  Mexicans  during  their  hurried  retreat. 
These  troops  executed  their  mission  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner, 


PRICES    OPERATIONS. 


629 


but  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  road,  and  the  lateness  of  the  hour  of 
starting,  they  could  not  come  up  with  the  flying  foe. 

The  Americans,  at  nine  o'clock  P.  M.,  of  March  7,  took  posses 
sion  of  Chihuahua.  On  the  following  morning,  General  Price  selected 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  mostly  mounted,  and  pursued  the 
retreating  Mexicans.  At  sunrise  of  the  9th,  he  reached  the  town  of 
Santa  Cruz  de  Rosales,  sixty  miles  of  Chihuahua,  where  the  enemy 
had  strongly  fortified  themselves.  Here  the  general  halted  his  troops 
and  commenced  a  careful  reconnoissance  of  his  opponent's  numbers 
and  position.  Notwithstanding  the  great  superiority  of  the  enemy 
in  men,  ammunition,  and  stores,  he  determined  to  attack  their  works 
by  storm.  Preparatory  to  this,  he  dismounted  the  commands  of 
Rail  and  Walker,  to  act  as  infantry,  and  posting  Beall's  dragoons  in 
reserve,  to  intercept  the  enemy's  flight,  in  case  of  success,  he  chose 
the  west  side  of  the  town  for  Rail's  assault,  and  the  south-east  angle 
for  Walker's.  He  then  despatched  Lieutenant  Prince,  with  a  flag  of 
truce,  to  demand  an  unconditional  surrender  of  the  town  and  public 
property. 

On  receiving  this  summons  General  Trias,  the  Mexican  leader,  re- 
que"sted  an  interview  with  the  American  commander.  His  reasons 
for  this  request  were  the  same  as  those  for  which  he  had  previously 
protested  against  the  march  to  Chihuahua — that  official  notice  had  ar 
rived  from  the  Mexican  government  of  a  treaty  of  peace  having  been 
signed  by  commissioners  on  behalf  of  both  powers.  General  Trias 
solemnly  affirmed  that  he  himself  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  this 
statement,  which,  as  he  believed,  would  be  confirmed  in  a  few  days 
by  a  courier  express.  On  the  credit  of  these  assurances,  General 
Price  was  willing  to  withdraw  his  forces  for  a  few  days,  taking  the 
precaution  to  besiege  the  town,  and  send  for  reinforcements. 

IEUTENANT-COLONEL  LANE, 
with  the  expected  reinforce 
ments  arrived  about  daylight 
of  the  16th.  They  consisted 
of  three  companies  of  Mis 
souri  horse,  under  Lane,  and 
Love's  battery  of  artillery. 
With  this  accession  to  his 
numbers,  General  Price  de 
termined  to  risk  an  assault 
in  order  to  end  a  siege  which 
had  become  peculiarly  trying 
to  his  soldiers.  Careful  re- 
connoissances  convinced  him  that  the  enemy  had  expected  this  event 


630  PRICE'S  OPERATIONS. 

to  take  place  on  that  part  of  the  town  which  fronted  the  American 
camp,  and  had  there  prepared  for  it.  To  take  advantage  of  this 
opinion,  General  Price  determined  on  changing  his  original  plan, 
and  by  moving  rapidly  to  some  weaker  point,  assault  and  carry  it 
before  the  garrison  could  recover  themselves. 

Accordingly,  at  seven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  he  broke  up  his  camp,  and 
with  his  whole  force,  except  Beall's  dragoons,  and  a  company  of 
Missouri  horse,  marched  to  the  western,  side  of  the  town.  Here 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Lane,  with  two  companies  of  the  Missouri  regi 
ment,  was  ordered  to  support  Love's  battery,  which  had  taken  posi 
tion  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the  town,  on  the  road  leading  to 
Chihuahua,  and  commanding  the  principal  plaza  and  church,  around 
and  in  which  the  enemy  were  strongly  posted.  Walker's  battalion 
was  placed  towards  the  south ;  while  between  these  two  commands 
were  four  companies  of  Rail's  troops,  conducted  by  the  general  in 
person. 

At  half  past  ten,  the  American  batteries  opened.  For  nearly  an 
hour  a  heavy  fire  was  poured  into  the  town,  destroying  houses,  and 
other  buildings,  and  gradually  driving  the  enemy  from  their  positions. 
It  was  answered  by  heavy  guns  and  wall  pieces,  wfiich  produced, 
however,  little  or  no  effect  upon  the  assailants.  Shortly  after  sun 
down,  the  garrison  surrendered.  General  Trias  and  forty-two  of  his 
principal  officers  were  made  prisoners ;  while  eleven  pieces  of  artil 
lery,  nine  wall  pieces,  and  five  hundred  and  seventy-seven  stand  of 
arms  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  The  loss  of  the  assailants 
was  one  lieutenant,  two  corporals,  and  one  private  killed ;  and  nine 
teen  men  wounded ;  that  of  the  enemy  is  stated  by  General  Price 
to  have  been  several  hundred.  On  the  21st,  General  Armijo,  ex-go 
vernor  of  New  Mexico,  surrendered  himself  to  the  victors. 

This  battle  closed  the  military  events  of  the  war  in  California  and 
New  Mexico. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 


CLOSE    OF    THE    WAR. 

HE  remaining  military  operations  of  the  war  may  be 
summed  up  in  a  few  words.  General  Lane  left  the 
capital  on  the  17th  of  February,  1848,  and  after  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  to  capture  General  Paredes,  at  a 
hacienda  called  San  Christoval,  he  subsequently  en 
countered  and  defeated  a  party  commanded  by  Padre  Jarauta,  and 
returned  to  the  capital  on  the  1st  of  March. 

The  abortive  attempts  of  Mr.  Trist  to  establish  peace,  immediately 
after  the  battles  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco,  did  not  terminate  his 
mission  as  a  negotiator  with  the  Mexican  republic.  Efforts  were 
made  both  by  himself  and  General  Scott,  from  time  to  time,  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  about  so  desirable  a  result.  These  were  at  length 
crowned  with  success.  In  January,  the  general-in-chief  laid  before 
the  Mexican  authorities  the  basis  of  a  treaty,  similar  in  its  general 
features  to  the  one  formerly  rejected.  They  appointed  Luis  G. 
Cuevas,  Bernardo  Conto,  and  Miguel  Atristain  as  commissioners. 

(631) 


632 


CLOSE    OF   THE    WAR. 


Mr.  Trist  acted  as  the  representative  of  the  United  States.  The 
negotiators  met  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  and  after  a  reciprocal  com 
munication  of  their  respective  powers,  arranged  and  signed  a  "  treaty 
of  peace,  friendship,  limits  and  settlement  between  the  United  States 
of  America  and  the  Mexican  Republic." 

In  February,  this  instrument  arrived  in  Washington,  and  was  trans 
mitted  by  President  Polk  to  the  American  Senate.  After  a  secret 
session  of  several  days,  that  body,  on  the  10th  of  March,  at  a 
quarter  past  nine  o'clock,  P.  M.,  agreed  to  it,  after  a  few  alterations, 
by  a  vote  of  thirty-seven  to  fifteen,  four  senators  being  absent. 
On  the  14th,  Mr.  Sevier  was  appointed  envoy  extraordinary  and 
minister  plenipotentiary,  to  present  the  treaty  as  amended  to  the 
Mexican  congress  for  their  final  action.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Clifford.  On  arriving  in  Mexico,  these  gentlemen  immediately 
submitted  the  treaty  to  the  national  congress,  then  assembled  at 
Queretaro.  After  a  long  and  animated  discussion,  it  passed  the 
House  of  Deputies  by  a  large  majority,  and  on  the  25th  of  May  was 
ratified  in  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  thirty-three  to  five.*  Although 
strenuous  efforts  had  been  made  to  prevent  the  consummation  of  this 
act  by  several  partisan  leaders  and  members  of  the  public  press,  yet 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  great  body  of  the  Mexican  nation 
rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  peace.  Information  of  the  ratification  was 
received  in  Mexico  with  the  ringing  of  bells,  discharging  of  fireworks, 
and  other  manifestations  of  satisfaction. 

REAT  preparations  were  made  for  the 
immediate  withdrawal  of  the  American 
troops  from  Mexico,  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  of  the  treaty.  The  duty  of 
superintending  the  necessary  arrange 
ments  devolved  on  General  Butler, 
who,  in  consequence  of  the  suspension 
of  General  Scott,  had  been  appointed 
by  the  president  to  the  chief  command. 
The  general-in-chief  had  left  the  city 
of  Mexico  on  the  22d  of  April,  reached 
Vera  Cruz  on  the  30th,  and  immediately 
embarked  for  the  United  States.  Mr.  Sevier  left  the  capital  on  the 
12th  of  June,  and  arrived  at  Vera  Cruz  about  the  20th,  superintend 
ing  in  his  route,  the  marching  of  the  troops  towards  that  city.  The 
army  left  Vera  Cruz  by  detachments,  the  greater  part  arriving  in 
New  Orleans  before  the  middle  of  June. 


*  See  Appendix. 


APPENDIX, 


TREATY 


OP  PEACE,  FRIENDSHIP,  LIMITS,  AND  SETTLEMENT,  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
or  AMERICA,  AND  THE  MEXICAN  REPUBLIC,  CONCLUDED  AT  GUADALUPE  HIDALGO, 
ON  THE  SECOND  DAT  OF  FEBRUARY,  WITH  AMENDMENTS  BY  THE  AMERICAN 
SENATE,  MARCH  lOrn,  1848,  AND  BY  THE  MEXICAN  SENATE,  MAY  25TH,  1848. 


THE  TREATY. 

In  the  name  of  Almighty  God  : 

The  United  States  of  America  and  the  United  Mexican  States,  animated  by  a  sincere 
desire  to  put  an  end  to  the  calamities  of  the  war  which  unhappily  exists  between  the  two 
republics,  and  to  establish  on  a  solid  basis  relations  of  peace  and  friendship,  which  shall 
confer  reciprocal  benefits  on  the  citizens  of  both,  and  assure  the  concord,  harmony,  and 
mutual  confidence  wherein  the  two  people  should  live  as  good  neighbours,  have,  for  that 
purpose,  appointed  their  respective  plenipotentiaries ;  that  is  to  say,  the  President  of  the 
United  States  has  appointed  N.  P.  Trist,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  the  President 
of  the  Mexican  republic  has  appointed  Don  Louis  Gonzaga  Cuevas,  Don  Bernardo  Conto, 
and  Don  Miguel  Atristain,  citizens  of  the  said  republic,  who,  after  a  reciprocal  communi 
cation  of  their  respective  powers,  have,  under  the  protection  of  Almighty  God,  the  author 
of  peace,  arranged,  agreed  upon,  and  signed  the  following  treaty  of  peace,  friendship, 
limits,  and  settlement,  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  Mexican  republic. 

ART.  I. — There  shall  be  a  firm  and  universal  peace  between  the  United  States  of 
America  and  the  Mexican  republic,  and  between  their  respective  countries,  territories, 
cities,  towns,  and  people,  without  exception  of  places  or  persons. 

ART.  II. — Immediately  on  the  signature  of  this  treaty,  a  convention  shall  be  entered 
into  between  a  commissioner  or  commissioners  appointed  by  the  generaMn-chief  of  the 
forces  of  the  United  States,  and  such  as  may  be  appointed  by  the  Mexican  government, 
to  the  end  that  a  provisional  suspension  of  hostilities  shall  take  place ;  and  that  in  the 
places  occupied  by  the  said  forces,  constitutional  order  may  be  re-established,  as  regards 
the  political,  administrative,  and  judicial  branches,  so  far  as  this  shall  be  permitted  by  the 
circumstances  of  military  occupation. 

ART.  HI. — Immediately  upon  the  ratification  of  the  present  treaty,  by  the  govern 
ment  of  the  United  States,  orders  shall  be  transmitted  to  the  commanders  of  their  land 
and  naval  forces,  requiring  the  latter  (provided  this  treaty  shall  then  have  been  ratified  by 
the  government  of  the  Mexican  republic)  immediately  to  desist  from  blockading  any 
Mexican  ports ;  and  requiring  the  former  (under  the  same  condition)  to  commence,  at 
the  earliest  moment  practicable,  withdrawing  all  troops  of  the  United  States  then  in  the 
interior  of  the  Mexican  republic,  to  points  that  shall  be  selected  by  common  agreement, 
at  a  distance  from  the  sea-ports  not  exceeding  thirty  leagues ;  and  such  evacuation  of  the 
interior  of  the  republic  shall  be  completed  with  the  least  possible  delay :  the  Mexican 
government  hereby  binding  itself  to  afford  every  facility  in  its  power  for  rendering  the 
same  convenient  to  the  troops,  on  their  march,  and  in  their  new  positions,  and  for  promot 
ing  a  good  understanding  between  them  ar.d  the  inhabitants.  In  like  manner,  orders  shall 

80  (633) 


634  APPEND  IX. 

be  despatched  to  the  persons  in  charge  of  the  custom-houses  at  all  ports  occupied  by  the 
forces  of  the  United  States,  requiring  them  (under  the  same  condition)  immediately  to 
deliver  possession  of  the  same  to  the  persons  authorized  by  the  Mexican  government  to 
receive  it,  together  with  all  bonds  and  evidences  of  debt  for  duties  on  importations  and  on 
exportations,  not  yet  fallen  due.  Moreover,  a  faithful  and  exact  account  shall  be  made 
out,  showing  the  entire  amount  of  all  duties  on  imports  and  on  exports,  collected  at  such 
custom-houses,  or  elsewhere  in  Mexico,  by  authority  of  the  United  States,  from  and  after 
the  day  of  the  ratification  of  this  treaty  by  the  government  of  the  Mexican  republic ;  and 
also  an  account  of  the  cost  of  collection ;  and  such  entire  amount,  deducting  only  the  cost 
of  collection,  shall  be  delivered  to  the  Mexican  government,  at  the  city  of  Mexico,  within 
three  months  after  the  exchange  of  ratifications. 

The  evacuation  of  the  capital  of  the  Mexican  republic  by  the  troops  of  the  United  States, 
in  virtue  of  the  above  stipulation,  shall  be  completed  in  one  month  after  the  orders  there 
stipulated  for  shall  have  been  received  by  the  commander  of  said  troops,  or  sooner  if 
possible. 

AET.  IV. — Immediately  after  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  all 
castles,  forts,  territories,  places  and  possessions,  which  have  been  taken  and  occupied  by 
the  forces  of  the  United  States  during  the  present  war,  within  the  limits  of  the  Mexican 
republic,  as  about  to  be  established  by  the  following  article,  shall  be  definitely  restored 
to  the  said  republic,  together  with  all  the  artillery,  arms,  apparatus  of  war,  munitions,  and 
other  public  property,  which  were  in  the  said  castles  and  forts  when  captured,  and  which 
shall  remain  there  at  the  time  when  this  treaty  shall  be  duly  ratified  by  the  government 
of  the  Mexican  republic.  To  this  end,  immediately  upon  the  signature  of  this  treaty, 
orders  shall  be  despatched  to  the  American  officers  commanding  such  castles  and  ports, 
securing  against  the  removal  or  destruction  of  any  such  artillery,  arms,  apparatus  of  war, 
munitions,  or  other  public  property.  The  city  of  Mexico,  within  the  inner  line  of  intrench- 
ments,  surrounding  the  said  city,  is  comprehended  in  the  above  stipulations,  as  regards 
the  restoration  of  artillery,  apparatus  of  war,  &c. 

The  final  evacuation  of  the  territory  of  the  Mexican  republic  by  the  forces  of  the  United 
States,  shall  be  completed  in  three  months  from  the  said  exchange  of  ratifications,  or  sooner 
if  possible  :  the  Mexican  republic  hereby  engaging,  as  in  the  foregoing  article,  to  use  all 
means  in  its  power  for  facilitating  such  evacuation,  and  rendering  it  convenient  to  the 
troops,  and  for  promoting  a  good  understanding  between  them  and  the  inhabitants. 

If,  however,  the -ratification  of  this  treaty  by  both  parties  should  not  take  place  in  time 
to  allow  the  embarkation  of  the  troops  of  the  United  States  to  be  completed  before  the 
commencement  of  the  sickly  season,  at  the  Mexican  ports  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  such 
case  a  friendly  arrangement  shall  be  entered  into  between  the  general-in-chief  of  the  said 
troops  and  the  Mexican  government,  whereby  healthy  and  otherwise  suitable  places,  at  a 
distance  from  the  ports  not  exceeding  thirty  leagues,  shall  be  designated  for  the  residence 
of  such  troops  as  may  not  yet  have  embarked,  until  the  return  of  the  healthy  season. 
And  the  space  of  time  here  referred  to  as  comprehending  the  sickly  season,  shall  be  under 
stood  to  extend  from  the  first  day  of  May  to  the  first  day  of  November. 

All  prisoners  of  war  taken  on  either  side,  on  land  or  on  sea,  shall  be  restored  as  soon 
as  practicable  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  this  treaty.  It  is  also  agreed  that 
if  any  Mexicans  should  now  be  held  as  captives  by  any  savage  tribe  within  the  limits  of 
the  United  States,  as  about  to  be  established  by  the  following  article,  the  government  01 
the  said  United  States  will  exact  the  release  of  such  captives,  and  cause  them  to  be 
restored  to  their  country. 

ART.  V. — The  boundary  line  between  the  two  republics  shall  commence  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  three  leagues  from  land,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  otherwise 
called  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  or  opposite  the  mouth  of  its  deepest  branch,  if  it  should  have 
more  than  one  branch  emptying  directly  into  the  sea ;  from  thence  up  the  middle  of  that 
river,  following  the  deepest  channel,  where  it  has  more  than  one,  to  the  point  where 
strikes  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico;  thence,  westwardly,  along  the  whole 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  (which  runs  north  of  the  town  called  Paso)  to  its 
western  termination ;  thence  northward  along  the  western  line  of  New  Mexico,  until  it 
intersects  the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila ;  (or  if  it  should  not  intersect  any  branch  of 
that  river,  then  to  the  point  on  the  said  line  nearest  to  such  branch,  and  thence  in  a  direct 
lino  to  the  same ;)  thence  down  the  middle  of  the  said  branch  and  of  the  said  river,  until 
it  empties  into  the  Rio  Colorado ;  thence  across  the  Rio  Colorado,  following  the  division 
line  between  Upper  and  Lower  California,  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 

The  southern  and  western  limits  of  New  Mexico,  mentioned  in  this  article,  are  those 
laid  down  in  the  map,  entitled  "  Map  of  the  United  Mexican  States,  as  organized  and 
defined  by  various  acts  of  the  Congress  of  said  republic,  and  constructed  according  to 


APPENDIX.  63; 

the  best  authorities.  Revised  edition.  Published  at  New  York,  in  1847,  by  J.  Distiu 
'  ntlir  Of  which  map  a  copy  is  added  to  this  treaty,  bearing  the  signatures  and  seals  c 
the  undersigned  plenipotentiaries.  And  in  order  to  preclude  all  difficulty  in  tracing  upo 
the  ground  the  limit  separating  Upper  from  Lower  California,  it  is  agreed  that  the  sai 
limit  shall  consist  of  a  straight  line,  drawn  from  the  middle  of  the  Rio  Gila,  where  it  unite 
with  the  Colorado,  to  a  point  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  ocean — distant  one  marine  leagu 
due  south  of  the  southernmost  point  of  the  port  of  San  Diego,  according  to  the  plan  o 
said  port,  made  in  the  year  1782,  by  Don  Juan  Pantojer,  second  sailingmaster  of  th 
Spanish  fleet,  and  published  at  Madrid  in  the  year  1802,  in  the  atlas  to  the  voyage  o 
the  schooners  Sutil  and  Mexicana,  of  which  plan  a  copy  is  hereunto  added,  signed  an 
sealed  by  the  respective  plenipotentiaries. 

In  order  to  designate  the  boundary  line  with  due  precision,  upon  authoritative  map: 
and  to  establish  on  the  ground  landmarks  which  shall  show  the  limits  of  both  republici 
as  described  in  the  present  article,  the  two  governments  shall  each  appoint  a  commissione 
and  a  surveyor,  who,  before  the  expiration  of  one  year  from  the  date  of  the  exchange  o 
ratification  of  this  treaty,  shall  meet  at  the  port  of  San  Diego,  and  proceed  to  run  an 
mark  the  said  boundary  in  its  whole  course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norti 
They  shall  keep  journals  and  make  out  plans  of  their  operations ;  and  the  result  agree 
upon  by  them,  shall  be  deemed  a  part  of  this  treaty,  and  shall  have  the  same  force  as  if 
were  inserted  therein.  The  two  governments  will  amicably  agree  regarding  what  may  b 
necessary  to  these  persons,  and  also  as  to  their  respective  escorts,  should  such  be  necessary 

The  boundary  line  established  by  this  article  shall  be  religiously  respected  by  each  o 
the  two  republics,  and  no  change  shall  ever  be  made  therein,  except  by  the  express  an 
free  consent  of  both  nations,  lawfully  given  by  the  general  government  of  each,  in  cor 
formity  with  its  own  constitution. 

ART.  VI. — The  vessels  and  citizens  of  the  United  States  shall,  in  all  time,  have  a  fre 
and  uninterrupted  passage  by  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  by  the  river  Colorado,  below  it 
confluence  with  the  Gila,  to  and  from  their  possessions  situated  north  of  the  boundary  lin 
defined  in  the  preceding  article ;  it  being  understood  that  this  passage  is  to  be  by  navi 
gating  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  the  river  Colorado ;  and  not  by  land,  without  th 
express  consent  of  the  Mexican  government. 

If,  by  the  examinations  that  may  be  made,  it  should  be  ascertained  to  be  practicable  an 
advantageous  to  construct  a  road,  canal,  or  railway,  which  should,  in  whole  or  in  pan 
run  upon  the  river  Gila,  or  upon  its  right  or  its  left  bank,  within  the  space  of  one  marin 
league  from  either  margin  of  the  river,  the  governments  of  both  republics  will  form  a 
agreement  regarding  its  construction,  in  order  that  it  may  serve  equally  for  the  use  an 
advantage  of  both  countries. 

AKT.  VII. — The  river  Gila,  and  the  part  of  the  Del  Norte  lying  below  the  souther] 
boundary  of  New  Mexico,  being,  agreeably  to  the  fifth  article,  divided  in  the  middle  be 
tween  the  two  republics,  the  navigation  of  the  Gila  and  of  the  Bravo,  below  said  boundary 
shall  be  free  and  common  to  the  vessels  and  citizens  of  both  countries ;  and  neither  shal 
without  the  consent  of  the  other,  construct  any  work  that  may  impede  or  interrupt,  ii 
whole  or  in  part,  the  exercise  of  this  right — not  even  for  the  purpose  of  favouring  ne\ 
methods  of  navigation.  Nor  shall  any  tax  or  contribution,  under  any  denomination  o 
title,  be  levied  upon  vessels,  or  persons  navigating  the  same,  or  upon  merchandise,  o 
effects,  transported  thereon,  except  in  the  case  of  landing  upon  one  of  their  shores.  If,  fo 
the  purpose  of  making  the  said  rivers  navigable,  or  for  maintaining  them  in  such  state,  i 
should  be  necessary  or  advantageous  to  establish  any  tax  or  contribution,  this  shall  not  b 
done  without  the  consent  of  both  governments. 

The  stipulations  confined  in  the  present  article  shall  not  impair  the  territorial  right 
of  either  republic,  within  its  established  limits. 

ART.  VIII — Mexicans  now  established  in  territories  previously  belonging  to  Mexico 
and  which  remain,  for  the  future,  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  as  defined  by  th 
present  treaty,  shall  'be  free  to  continue  where  they  now  reside,  or  to  remove,  at  any  time 
to  the  Mexican  republic,  retaining  the  property  which  they  possess  in  the  said  territories 
or  disposing  thereof,  and  removing  the  proceeds  wherever  they  please,  without  their  beinj 
subjected,  on  this  account,  to  any  contribution,  or  tax,  or  charge,  whatever. 

Those  who  shall  prefer  to  remain  in  said  territories,  may  either  retain  the  title  and  right 
of  Mexican  citizens,  or  acquire  those  of  citizens  of  the  United  States.  But  they  shall  b 
under  the  obligation  to  make  their  selection  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  the  exchangi 
of  ratifications  of  this  treaty ;  and  those  who  shall  remain  in  the  said  territories,  after  th< 
expiration  of  that  year,  without  having  declared  their  intention  to  retain  the  character  o: 
Mexicans,  shall  be  considered  to  have  elected  to  become  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  said  territories,  property  of  every  kind,  now  belonging  to  Mexicans  not  esta 


636  APPENDIX. 

blished  there,  shall  be  inviolably  respected.  The  present  owners,  the  heirs  of  these,  and 
all  Mexicans  who  may  hereafter  acquire  said  property  by  contract,  shall  enjoy  with  respect 
to  it,  guarantees  equally  ample  as  if  the  same  belonged  to  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

ART.  IX. — [This  article  is  expunged,  and  in  its  stead  the  Senate  has  adopted  and 
inserted  substantially  the  third  article  of  the  treaty  with  France,  of  1803,  for  the  cession  of 
Louisiana,  to  the  effect  that  inhabitants  of  the  ceded  territory  shall  be  incorporated  in  the 
Union  of  the  Un  ited  States,  and  admitted  as  soon  as  Congress  shall  determine,  according  to 
the  principles  of  the  federal  constitution,  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  rights,  advantages, 
and  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  ;  and  in  the  mean  time,  they  shall  be 
maintained  and  protected  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  their  liberty,  property,  and  the  reli 
gion  which  they  profess.] 

ART.  X. — (EXPUNGED.) 

ART.  XI. — Considering  that  a  great  part  of  the  territories  which,  by  the  present  treaty, 
are  to  be  comprehended  for  the  future  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  is  now  occu 
pied  by  savage  tribes  who  will  hereafter  be  under  the  control  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  and  whose  incursions  within  the  territory  of  Mexico  would  be  prejudicial 
in  the  extreme,  it  is  solemnly  agreed  that  all  such  incursions  shall  be  forcibly  restrained 
by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  whensoever  this  may  be  necessary ;  and  that 
when  they  cannot  be  prevented,  they  shall  be  punished  by  the  said  government,  and  satis 
faction  for  the  same  shall  be  exacted — all  in  the  same  way,  and  with  equal  diligence  and 
energy,  as  if  the  same  incursions  were  committed  within  its  own  territory,  against  its  own 
citizens. 

It  shall  not  be  lawful,  under  any  pretext  whatever,  for  any  inhabitant  of  the  United 
States  to  purchase  or  acquire  any  Mexican,  or  any  foreigner  residing  in  Mexico,  who  may 
have  been  captured  by  Indians  inhabiting  the  territory  of  either  of  the  two  republics,  nor 
to  purchase  or  acquire  horses,  mules,  cattle,  or  property  of  any  kind,  stolen  within  Mexi 
can  territory  by  such  Indians :  nor  to  provide  such  Indians  with  fire-arms  or  ammunition, 
by  sale  or  otherwise. 

And  in  the  event  of  any  person  or  persons  captured  within  Mexican  territory  by  Indians, 
being  carried  into  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  the  government  of  the  latter  engages 
and  binds  itself  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  so  soon  as  it  shall  know  of  such  captives  be 
ing  within  its  territory,  and  shall  be  able  to  do  so,  through  the  faithful  exercise  of  its 
influence  and  power,  to  rescue  them  and  return  them  to  their  country,  or  deliver  them  to 
the  agent  or  representative  of  the  Mexican  government.  The  Mexican  authorities  will, 
as  far  as  practicable,  give  to  the  government  of  the  United  States  notice  of  such  captures  •, 
and  its  agents  shall  pay  the  expenses  incurred  in  the  maintenance  and  transmission  of  the 
rescued  captives ;  who,  in  the  mean  time,  shall  be  treated  with  the  utmost  hospitality  by 
the  American  authorities  at  the  place  where  they  may  be.  But  if  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  before  receiving  such  notice  from  Mexico,  should  obtain  intelligence,  through 
any  other  channel,  of  the  existence  of  Mexican  captives  within  its  territory,  it  will  proceed 
forthwith  to  effect  their  release  and  delivery  to  the  Mexican  agent,  as  above  stipulated. 

For  the  purpose  of  giving  to  these  stipulations  the  fullest  possible  efficacy,  thereby 
affording  the  security  and  redress  demanded  by  their  true  spirit  and  intent,  the  government 
of  the  United  States  will  now  and  hereafter  pass,  without  unnecessary  delay,  and  always 
vigilantly  enforce,  such  laws  as  the  nature  of  the  subject  may  require.  And  finally,  the 
sacredness  of  this  obligation  shall  never  be  lost  sight  of  by  the  said  government  when  pro 
viding  for  the  removal  of  Indians  from  any  portion  of  said  territories,  or  for  its  being 
settled  by  the  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  special  care  then  shall  be 
taken  not  to  place  its  Indian  occupants  under  the  necessity  of  seeking  new  homes,  by  com 
mitting  those  invasions  which  the  United  States  have  solemnly  obliged  themselves  to  restrain. 

ART.  XII. — In  consideration  of  the  extension  acquired  by  the  boundaries  of  the  United 
States,  as  defined  in  the  fifth  article  of  the  present  treaty,  the  government  of  the  United 
States  engages  to  pay  to  that  of  the  Mexican  republic  the  sum  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars, 
in  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  modes  below  specified. 

[N.  B.  Two  modes  of  payment  are  here  set  forth  in  the  treaty.  The  latter  being  by 
annual  instalments  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  was  accepted  by  the  Mexican  government.] 

ART.  XIII. — The  United  States  engage,  moreover,  to  assume  and  pay  to  the  claimants 
all  the  amounts  now  due  them,  and  those  hereafter  to  become  due,  by  reason  of  the  claims 
already  liquidated  and  decided  against  the  Mexican  republic,  under  the  conventions  be 
tween  the  two  republics  severally  concluded  on  the  llth  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred 
and  thirty-nine,  and  on  the  30th  day  of  January,  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-three ;  so 
that  the  Mexican  republic  shall  be  absolutely  exempt  for  the  future,  from  all  expense 
whatever  on  account  of  the  said  claims. 

ART.  XIV, — The  United  States  do  furthermore  discharge  the  Mexican  republic  from  all 


APPENDIX.  637 

claims  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  not  heretofore  decided  against  the  Mexican  govern- 
>ment,  which  may  have  arisen  previously  to  the  date  of  the  signature  of  this  treaty ;  which 
discharge  shall  be  final  and  perpetual,  whether  the  said  claims  be  rejected  or  be  allowed 
by  the  board  of  commissioners  provided  for  in  the  following  article,  and  whatever  shall  be 
the  total  amount  of  those  allowed. 

ART.  XV. — The  United  States,  exonerating  Mexico  from  all  demands  on  account  of  the 
daims  of  their  citizens  mentioned  in  the  preceding  article,  and  considering  them  entirely 
and  for  ever  cancelled,  whatever  their  amount  may  be,  undertake  to  make  satisfaction  for 
the  same,  to  an  amount  not  exceeding  three  and  one  quarter  millions  of  dollars.  To 
ascertain  the  validity  and  amount  of  those  claims,  a  board  of  commissioners  shall  be  esta 
blished  by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  whose  awards  shall  be  final  and  conclusive  , 
provided,  that  in  deciding  upon  the  validity  of  each  claim,  the  board  shall  be  guided  and 
governed  by  the  principles  and  rules  of  decision  prescribed  by  the  first  and  fifth  articles 
of  the  unratified  convention,  concluded  at  the  city  of  Mexico  on  the  twentieth  day  of  No 
vember,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-three  ;  and  in  no  case  shall  an  award  be 
made  in  favour  of  any  claim  not  embraced  by  these  principles  and  rules. 

If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  said  board  of  commissioners,  or  of  the  claimants,  any  books 
records,  or  documents  in  the  possession  or  power  of  the  government  of  the  Mexican 
republic,  shall  be  deemed  necessary  to  the  just  decision  of  any  claim,  the  commissioners, 
or  the  claimants  through  them,  shall  within  such  period  as  Congress  may  designate,  make 
an  application  in  writing  for  the  same,  addressed  to  the  Mexican  minister  for  foreign 
affairs,  to  be  transmitted  by  the  secretary  of  state  of  the  United  States ;  and  the  Mexi 
can  government  engages,  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  after  the  receipt  of  such  demand 
to  cause  any  of  the  books,  records,  or  documents,  so  specified,  which  shall  be  in  then 
possession  or  power  (or  authenticated  copies  or  extracts  of  the  same)  to  be  transmitted  to 
the  said  secretary  of  state,  who  shall  immediately  deliver  them  over  to  the  said  board  of 
commissioners ;  Provided,  that  no  such  application  shall  be  made  by,  or  at  the  instance  of 
any  claimant,  until  the  facts  which  it  is  expected  to  prove  by  such  books,  records,  or  docu 
ments,  shall  have  been  stated  under  oath  or  affirmation. 

ART.  XVI. — Each  of  the  contracting  parties  reserves  to  itself  the  entire  right  to  fortify 
whatever  point  within  its  territory  it  may  judge  proper  so  to  fortify,  for  its  security. 

ART.  XVII. — The  treaty  of  amity,  commerce,  and  navigation,  concluded  at  the  city  of 
Mexico  on  the  5th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1831,  between  the  United  States  of  America  and 
the  United  Mexican  States,  except  the  additional  article,  and  except  so  far  as  the  stipu 
lations  of  the  said  treaty  may  not  be  incompatible  with  any  stipulation  contained  in  the 
present  treaty,  is  hereby  revived  for  the  period  of  eight  years  from  the  day  of  the  exchange 
of  ratifications  of  this  treaty,  with  the  same  force  and  virtue  as  if  incorporated  therein;  it 
being  understood  that  each  of  the  contracting  parties  reserves  to  itself  the  right,  at  anj 
time  after  the  said  period  of  eight  years  shall  have  expired,  to  terminate  the  same  by  giving 
one  year's  notice  of  such  intention  to  the  other  party. 

ART.  XVIII. — All  supplies  whatever  for  troops  of  the  United  States  in  Mexico,  arriving 
at  ports  in  the  occupation  of  such  troops  previous  to  the  final  evacuation  thereof,  although 
subsequently  to  the  restoration  of  the  custom-houses  at  such  ports,  shall  be  entirely  exempt 
from  duties  and  charges  of  any  kind ;  the  government  of  the  United  States  hereby  engaging 
and  pledging  its  faith  to  establish,  and  vigilantly  to  enforce,  all  possible  guards  for  securing 
the  revenue  of  Mexico,  by  preventing  the  importation,  under  cover  of  this  stipulation,  of 
any  articles  other  than  such,  both  in  kind  and  in  quality,  as  shall  really  be  wanted  for  the 
use  and  consumption  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States  during  the  time  they  may  remain 
in  Mexico.  To  this  end,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  all  officers  and  agents  of  the  United  States 
to  denounce  to  the  Mexican  authorities  at  the  respective  ports  any  attempts  at  a  fraudulent 
abuse  of  this  stipulation  which  they  may  know  of  or  may  have  reason  to  suspect,  and  to  give 
to  such  autho^ties  all  the  aid  in  their  power  with  regard  thereto ;  and  every  such  attempt, 
when  duly  proved  and  established  by  sentence  of  a  competent  tribunal,  shall  be  punished 
by  the  confiscation  of  the  property  so  attempted  to  be  fraudulently  introduced. 

ART.  XIX. — With  respect  to  all  merchandise,  effects,  and  property  whatsoever,  im 
ported  into  ports  of  Mexico  whilst  hi  the  occupation  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States, 
whether  by  citizens  of  either  republic,  or  by  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  neutral  nation,  the 
following  rules  shall  be  observed : 

1.  All  such  merchandise,  effects,  and  property,  if  imported  previously  to  the  restoration 
of  the  custom-houses  to  the  Mexican  authorities,  as  stipulated  for  in  the  third  article  of 
this  treaty,  shall  be  exempt  from  confiscation,  although  the  importation  of  the  same  be 
prohibited  by  the  Mexican  tariff. 

2.  The  same  perfect  exemption  shall  be  enjoyed  by  all  such  merchandise,  effects,  and 
property,  imported  subsequently  to  the  restoration  of  the  custom-houses,  and  previously  to 

3H 


638  APPENDIX. 

the  sixty  days  fixed  in  the  following  article  for  the  coming  into  force  of  the  Mexican  tarifl, 
at  such  ports  respectively;  the  said  merchandise,  effects,  and  property,  being,  however,  at 
the  time  of  their  importation,  subject  to  the  payment  of  duties,  as  provided  for  in  the  said 
following  article. 

3.  All  merchandise,  effects,  and  property  described  in  the  two  rules  foregoing  shall, 
during  their  continuance  at  the  place  of  importation,  or  upon  their  leaving  such  place  for 
the  interior,  be  exempt  from  all  duty,  tax,  or  impost  of  every  kind,  under  whatsoever  titlti 
or  denomination.     Nor  shall  they  be  there  subjected  to  any  charge  whatsoever  upon  the 
sale  thereof. 

4.  All  merchandise,  effects,  and  property,  described  in  the  first  and  second  rules,  which 
shall  have  been  removed  to  any  place  in  the  interior  whilst  such  place  was  in  the  occupa 
tion  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  shall,  during  their  continuance  therein,  be  exempt 
from  all  tax  upon  the  sale  or  consumption  thereof,  and  from  every  kind  of  impost  or  con 
tribution,  under  whatsoever  title  or  denomination. 

5.  But  if  any  merchandise,  effects,  or  property,  described  in  the  first  and  second  rules, 
shall  be  removed  to  any  place  not  occupied  at  the  time  by  the  forces  of  the  United  States, 
they  shall,  upon  their  introduction  into  such  place,  or  upon  their  sale  or  consumption 
there,  be  subject  to  the  same  duties  which,  under  the  Mexican  laws,  they  would  be  re 
quired  to  pay  in  such  cases  if  they  had  been  imported  in  time  of  peace,  through  the  mari 
time  custom-houses,  and  had  there  paid  the  duties  conformably  with  the  Mexican  tariff. 

6.  The  owners  of  all  merchandise,  effects,  or  property  described  in  the  first  and  second 
rules,  and  existing  in  any  port  of  Mexico,  shall  have  the  right  to  reship  the  same,  exempt 
from  all  tax,  impost,  or  contribution  whatever. 

With  respect  to  the  metals,  or  other  property,  exported  from  any  Mexican  port  whilst 
in  the  occupation  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  previously  to  the  restoration  of  the 
custom-house  at  such  port,  no  person  shall  be  required  by  the  Mexican  authorities,  whether 
general  or  state,  to  pay  any  tax,  duty,  or  contribution  upon  any  such  exportation,  or  in 
any  manner  to  account  for  the  same  to  the  said  authorities. 

ART.  XX. — Through  consideration  for  the  interests  of  commerce  generally,  it  is  agreed, 
that  if  less  than  sixty  days  should  elapse  between  the  date  of  the  signature  of  this  treaty 
and  the  restoration  of  the  custom-houses,  conformably  with  the  stipulation  in  the  third 
article,  in  such  case  all  merchandise,  effects,  and  property  whatsoever,  arriving  at  the 
Mexican  ports  after  the  restoration  of  the  said  custom-houses,  and  previously  to  the  expira 
tion  of  sixty  days  after  the  day  of  the  signature  of  this  treaty,  shall  be  admitted  to  entry ; 
and  no  other  duties  shall  be  levied  thereon  than  the  duties  established  by  the  tariff  found 
in  force  at  such  custom-houses  at  the  time  of  the  restoration  of  the  same.  And  to  all  such 
merchandise,  effects,  and  property,  the  rules  established  by  the  preceding  article  shall 
apply. 

ART.  XXI. — If,  unhappily,  any  disagreement  should  hereafter  arise  between  the  govern 
ments  of  the  two  republics,  whether  with  respect  to  the  interpretation  of  any  stipulation  in 
this  treaty,  or  with  respect  to  any  other  particular  concerning  the  political  or  commercial 
relations  of  the  two  nations,  the  said  governments,  in  the  name  of  those  nations,  do 
promise  to  each  other  that  they  will  endeavour,  in  the  most  sincere  and  earnest 
manner,  to  settle  the  differences  so  arising,  and  to  preserve  the  state  of  peace  and 
friendship  in  which  the  two  countries  are  now  placing  themselves ;  using,  for  this  end, 
mutual  representations  and  pacific  negotiations.  And  if,  by  these  means,  they  should 
not  be  enabled  to  come  to  an  agreement,  a  resort  shall  not,  on  this  account,  be  had 
to  reprisals,  aggression,  or  hostility  of  any  kind,  by  the  one  republic  against  the  other,  until 
the  government  of  that  which  deems  itself  aggrieved  shall  have  maturely  considered,  in 
the  spirit  of  peace  and  good  neighbourship,  whether  it  would  not  be  better  that  such  differ 
ence  should  be  settled  by  the  arbitration  of  commissioners  appointed  on  each  side,  or  by 
that  of  a  friendly  nation.  And  should  such  course  be  proposed  by  either  party,  it  shall  be 
acceded  to  by  the  other,  unless  deemed  by  it  altogether  incompatible  with  the  nature  of 
the  difference,  or  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

ART.  XXII. — If  (which  is  not  to  be  expected,  and  which  God  forbid !)  war  shall  unhap 
pily  break  out  between  the  two  republics,  they  do  now,  with  a  view  to  such  calamity, 
solemnly  pledge  themselves  to  each  other  and  to  the  world,  to  observe  the  following  rules, 
absolutely,  where  the  nature  of  the  subject  permits,  and  as  closely  as  possible  in  all  cases 
where  such  absolute  observance  shall  be  impossible. 

1.  The  merchants  of  either  republic  then  residing  in  the  other  shall  be  allowed  to  remain 
twelve  months,  (for  those  dwelling  in  the  interior,)  and  six  months  (for  those  dwelling  at 
the  seaports,)  to  collect  their  debts  and  settle  their  affairs ;  during  which  periods,  they  shall 
enjoy  the  same  protection,  and  be  on  the  same  footing,  in  all  respects,  as  the  citizens  or 
subjects  of  the  most  friendly  nations ;  and,  at  the  expiration  thereof,  or  at  any  time  before, 


APPENDIX.  63£ 

they  shall  have  full  liberty  to  depart,  carrying  off  all  their  effects  without  molestation  01 
'  hindrance;  conforming  therein  to  the  same  laws  which  the  citizens  or  subjects  of  the  most 
friendly  nations  are  required  to  conform  to.  Upon  the  entrance  of  the  armies  of  eithej 
nation  into  the  territories  of  the  other,  women  and  children,  ecclesiastics,  scholars  of  ever} 
faculty,  cultivators  of  the  earth,  merchants,  artisans,  manufacturers,  and  fishermen,  un 
armed  and  inhabiting  unfortified  towns,  villages,  or  places,  and  in  general  all  persons 
whose  occupations  are  for  the  common  subsistence  and  benefit  of  mankind,  shall  be  allowec 
to  continue  their  respective  employments  unmolested  in  their  persons.  Nor  shall  theii 
houses  or  goods  be  burnt  or  otherwise  destroyed,  nor  their  cattle  taken,  nor  their  fields 
wasted,  by  the  armed  force  into  whose  power,  by  the  events  of  war,  they  may  happen  tc 
fall ;  but  if  the  necessity  arise  to  take  any  thing  from  them  for  the  use  of  such  armed  force 
the  same  shall  be  paid  for  at  an  equitable  price.  All  churches,  hospitals,  schools,  colleges 
libraries,  and  other  establishments,  for  charitable  and  beneficent  purposes,  shall  be  respected 
and  all  persons  connected  with  the  same,  protected  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  th< 
pursuit  of  their  vocations. 

2.  In  order  that  the  fate  of  prisoners  of  war  may  be  alleviated,  all  such  practices  a* 
those  of  sending  them  into  distant,  inclement,  or  unwholesome  districts,  or  crowding  then 
into  close  and  noxious  places,  shall  be  studiously  avoided.  They  shall  not  be  confined  ir 
dungeons,  prison-ships,  or  prisons,  nor  be  put  in  irons,  or  bound,  or  otherwise  restrained  in  the 
use  of  their  limbs.  The  officers  shall  enjoy  liberty  on  then-  paroles,  within  convenient  dis 
tricts,  and  have  comfortable  quarters;  and  the  common  soldier  shall  be  disposed  in  can 
tonments,  open  and  extensive  enough  for  air  and  exercise,  and  lodged  in  barracks  as 
roomy  and  good  as  are  provided  by  the  party  in  whose  power  they  are  for  its  own  troops 
But  if  any  officer  shall  break  his  parole  by  leaving  the  district  so  assigned  him,  or  anj 
other  prisoner  shall  escape  from  the  limits  of  his  cantonment,  after  they  shall  have  beer 
designated  to  him,  such  individual,  officer,  or  other  prisoner,  shall  forfeit  so  much  of  the 
benefit  of  this  article  as  provides  for  his  liberty  on  parole  or  in  cantonment.  And  if  ar 
officer  so  breaking  his  parole,  or  any  common  soldier  so  escaping  from  the  limits  assignee 
him,  shall  afterwards  be  found  in  arms,  previously  to  his  being  regularly  exchanged,  the 
person  so  offending  shall  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  established  laws  of  war.  The 
officers  shall  be  daily  furnished  by  the  party  in  whose  power  they  are,  with  as  man) 
rations,  and  of  the  same  articles,  as  are  allowed,  either  in  kind  or  by  commutation,  tc 
officers  of  equal  rank  in  its  own  army ;  and  all  others  shall  be  daily  furnished  with  such 
ration  as  is  allowed  to  a  common  soldier  in  its  own  service :  the  value  of  all  which  sup 
plies  shall,  at  the  close  of  the  war.  or  at  periods  to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  respective 
commanders,  be  paid  by  the  other  party,  on  a  mutual  adjustment  of  accounts  for  the  sub 
sistence  of  prisoners ;  and  such  accounts  shall  not  be  mingled  with  or  set  off  against  anj 
others,  nor  the  balance  due  on  them  be  withheld,  as  a  compensation  or  reprisal  for  anj 
cause  whatever,  real  or  pretended.  Each  party  shall  be  allowed  to  keep  a  commissary  of 
•  prisoners,  appointed  by  itself,  with  every  cantonment  of  prisoners,  in  possession  of  the 
other ;  which  commissary  shall  see  the  prisoners  as  often  as  he  pleases ;  shall  be  allowec 
to  receive,  exempt  from  all  duties  or  taxes,  and  to  distribute,  whatever  comforts  may  be 
sent  to  them  by  their  friends ;  and  shall  be  free  to  transmit  his  reports  in  open  letters  tc 
the  party  by  whom  he  is  employed. 

And  it  is  declared  that  neither  the  pretence  that  war  dissolves  all  treaties,  nor  any  othei 
whatever,  shall  be  considered  as  annulling  or  suspending  the  solemn  covenant  contained 
in  this  article.  On  the  contrary,  the  state  of  war  is  precisely  that  for  which  it  is  provided : 
and  during  which,  its  stipulations  are  to  be  as  sacredly  observed  as  the  most  acknowledged 
obligations  under  the  law  of  nature  or  nations. 

ART  XXIIJ. — This  treaty  shall  be  ratified  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  of 
Ameri  A,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  thereof;  and  by  the  President 
of  the  Mexican  republic,  with  the  previous  approbation  of  its  general  Congress ;  and  the 
ratifications  shall  be  exchanged  in  the  city  of  Washington,  in  four  months  from  the  date 
of  the  signature  hereof,  or  sooner  if  practicable. 

In  faith  whereof,  we,  the  respective  plenipotentiaries,  have  signed  this  treaty  of  peace, 
friendship,  limits,  and  settlement;  and  have  hereunto  affixed  our  seals  respectively. 
Done  in  quintuplicate,  at  the  city  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  on  the  second  day  of  February, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-eight. 

N.  P.  TRIST,  [t.  s.] 

LUIS  G.  CUEVAS,  [L.S.] 

BERNARDO  CONTO,  [i.  s.] 

MIG,  ATRISTAIN,  [L  ».] 


640  APPENDIX 

Additional  and  secret  article  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  friendship,  limits,  and  settlement, 
between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  Mexican  republic,  signed  this  day  by 
their  respective  plenipotentiaries.  (Expunged.) 

In  view  of  the  possibility  that  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  this  treaty  may,  by 
the  circumstances  in  which  the  Mexican  republic  is  placed,  be  delayed  longer  than  the 
term  of  four  months  fixed  by  its  twenty-third  article  for  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of 
the  same,  it  is  hereby  agreed  that  such  delay  shall  not,  in  any  manner,  affect  the  force 
and  validity  of  this  treaty,  unless  it  should  exceed  the  term  of  eight  months,  counted  from 
the  date  of  the  signature  thereof. 

This  article  is  to  have  the  same  force  and  virtue  as  if  inserted  in  the  treaty  to  which 
this  is  an  addition. 

In  faith  whereof,  we,  the  respective  plenipotentiaries,  have  signed  this  additional  and 
secret  article,  and  have  hereunto  affixed  our  seals,  respectively.  Done  in  quintuplicate  at 
the  city  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  on  the  second  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-eight. 

N.  P.TRIST,  [L.S.] 

LUIS  G.  CUEVAS,  [L.  a.] 

BERNARDO  CONTO,       [L.S.] 
MIG.  ATRISTAIN,  [L.  a.] 


THE   END. 


